Lanna's Intermezzo
by Juxapose4ever
Summary: Will Mark be able to give her the inspiration she needs to make some music? Or is he just standing in her way?
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

**Lanna, Mark, and Chelsea**

Lost in the middle of the Pacific ocean, there is a small island recently discovered. This island is now home to about 100 people who decided to live a fresh new life in this strange and distant land. The ones who discovered this island is Mark, the lonely drifter, and a small family that got stranded in the island years ago. Although they had every right to leave the island and return to their old homes, they decided to stay and live in the island instead. Mark is a farmer who brings in the mayor profits of the island, and the family that arrived with him decided to run a shipping business.

After years of hard work, the island known as Sunny Island became a famous land where people can start over new lives. Many settlers brought their families along with them, and started many businesses of their own. Many of the settlers are farmers, ranchers, and miners who were inspired by Mark's hard work to develop an inhabited island into a grand and peaceful village.

Our story begins in Summer where Mark wakes up in the morning. He gets up from his bed and stretches his arms to greet the sunny day. Just as predicted, no rain or drizzle. It's going to be a wonderful sunny day working with his crops and animals. The first thing he does in the morning is go to the bathroom and checks himself. His blond hair is messy like always from the tossing and turning while he slept the night before. Nothing a comb and some warm water cannot fix.

He takes some water in his hands and splashes it on his face. He may feel a bit groggy from the sudden wake, but he finds no redness behind his green eyes, so there is no need to worry. He is healthy enough to work the day without worries.

After a quick shower, he heads back to the bedroom where he has his clothing set up for the day. Like most farmers, he wears a pair of overall pants over a white shirt, a bandanna around his neck so prevent dirt from getting into his shirt, red and black gloves, and heavy black boots. But just for a taste of fashion, he wears a brown leather jacket over his shirt, and a blue hat turned backwards. He keeps a puff of blond hair popping out of the opening of the hat for good measure.

He takes another look in the mirror before he heads out. After a second careful inspection, he balls up his fist and cheers himself for luck. This is his usual normal morning routine to tackle the day without worries or regrets. He is now ready to care for his farm, and help the village develop a little bit more with the help of his many friends that settled into Sunny Island.

The first thing he works on are the animals. He lets his cows and sheep out to the sunny pasture so they can feed on fresh moist grass. As they are grazing, Mark takes a moment to pet and milk the cows or sheer the sheep if he could. As he is passing through them, he speaks to them giving compliments on their development. Somehow, the cows and sheep can understand Mark clearly, and respond to his words of kindness.

The next place Mark handles are the chickens. Like the cows, he lets the chickens out into a special pen he divided away from the cows so that they can peck for worms in peace. As they are outside, Mark picks the eggs one by one as quietly and quickly as he possibly can. He then leaves some feed in the bins for the chickens so that they can eat later.

Now that the animals have been taken care of, Mark begins to focus on the crops in the farm. Unlike the animals, this is the most time consuming and tiring part of his job. But even so, he still happily works as hard as he could for the sake of the village. First, he tackles the Summer crops that grow in his field. Some of the corn is ripe, so he picks them and readies them for shipping. He does save some of the corn for cooking. After picking any other harvests, he waters the plants using a watering can equipped with some wonderful stones.

Wonderful stones are rare magical crystals that increase the effectiveness of the tools that he owns. Without them, there is no way that he could have developed such a large farm without spending the whole day on it. It is not sure where they come from, but there is a villager in the island that finds them, and sells them to the farmers in the island.

He also owns a greenhouse in his ranch that he uses for growing Fall crops all year long. The reason he chose to grow Fall crops is because he needs to harvest plenty of yams for a specific person who lives in the island. After picking and watering the crops in the greenhouse, he moves his attention outside to the mushroom racks and the rice paddies.

By now, his farm work is done. He checks his watch and sees that it's now noon. There is another thing he usually does as a daily routine. He runs back into his home, and rushes into the kitchen. At this point, he needs to rush if he wants to arrive at his special place at the right time.

He goes into the freezer, and pulls out a fish he had caught the night before. After a couple of years living alone in the island, he has learned how to cook quite well. His main specialty is cooking fish and yam recipes which he learned from a friend who owns a diner in the island. It takes him about an hour and a half to cook his famous fried fish over rice with yam pudding. A very tasty and nutritious lunch for fish and sweet lovers.

After packing and wrapping the lunch he prepared, he rushes out of the farm, straight into the village. At exactly 2:00pm, a beautiful young girl roams the village to get a bit of exercise. This girl is Lanna Songstress, a famous pop idol who settled into the island about 2 years ago. Ever since she came to the island, Mark made a habit of bringing her some lunch every day at 2:00pm. He knows that her favorite food is fish and yam pudding, so he became quite good at making her favorite meal.

As he watches her walking around the village, he can't help but to admire her beauty. Her shimmering golden hair that reflects the light like a golden fleece flows down below her waist. She has very light creamy skin tone that is completely flawless. Her large round chocolate brown eyes hive her a sweet look to her when she smiles. Lanna typically wears a green dress decorated with black frills and a single rose under her neck. A green and frilly hair barret with two red ribbons rests on her head gives her an added cute charm.

This girl who is world famous for her singing and dancing is the girl that Mark admires the most. He is aware that he is just an ordinary farmer, and she is a pop idol. He feels that any form of a serious relationship is impossible between them. But he does wish that he can go on a single date with her, even if it's just once, he'll be happy.

Gathering all of his courage, he approaches Lanna with the lunch in his arms. No matter how many times he has done this in the past, he still gets butterflies in his stomach whenever he approaches her. He walks up slowly and says, **"Umm. . . Hi Lanna."**

She turns around to find the nervous and shy farmer behind her. She then gives him a gentle smile and responds, **"Hi Mark! What can I do for you today?"**

**"Well. . . You see. . . Umm. . ."** are the only words that come out of his mouth. Even though he has done this so many times already, just being around this stunning beauty leaves him speechless. After taking a deep breath, he pulls out his gift and says, **"I made you some lunch today! I hope you'll accept it. . ."**

Just like every day, Lanna accepts his gift with a smile and says, **"Thank you Mark. Your fish and yam pudding lunches are always the best!"**

Hearing her compliment makes him feel happy and proud. The next thing he tries is something he does often, but not on a daily basis. He is embarrassed to ask such a question, especially to a famous idol like Lanna Songstress, but he always finds the courage to do so. So he asks, **"Say Lanna, I have the rest of the afternoon off. So I was wondering if maybe we can go on a date today if possible?"**

Lanna smiles for him as she says, **"Aww, how sweet. But I'm so sorry, I have a lot of work to do today, so I can't. But thanks again for the lunch, I look forward to it."**

**"I understand. . ."** said Mark as he takes a deep breath.

Then they said their goodbyes and parted ways. And so starts another one of Mark's daily routines. After seeing Lanna, he heads over to Luke's diner to have a meal. After cooking for Lanna, Mark has no energy left to cook something for himself, so he feels quite happy that there is a diner in the island he can go to. But like many days, he carries a disappointed look on his face. He sits on his usual seat close to the counter, and rests his sad face on the table waiting to be served.

Moments later, Luke comes out of the back to take Mark's order. So he asks, **"So Mark, what'll you'll have today?"**

**"The usual. . ."** answered Mark in a sad tone.

Luke sighs and says, **"Let me guess, that Lanna girl turned you down again. Am I right?"**

**"Oh, leave me alone."** said Mark leering back at Luke. **"What do you know about it anyways?"**

**"Well, I know that you've been trying to get that girl to date you for about two years already."** Mark sighs again, just about everyone in the village already knows that Mark is the only person in the village stubborn enough to keep asking the same girl out for so long. Luke then places his hand on Mark's shoulder and says, **"Listen to me friend. I think it's about time you let this fantasy of dating an idol go. Maybe if you're rich and famous, then I can see you having a fair chance with her. But lets be realistic here."**

Mark knows that he's right, but giving up on that dream was something that he was not willing to do so easily. So he looks away across the room so that he could get his mind off the topic. But as he looks away, he notices something interesting in the diner.

Sitting across the room, he sees a very attractive girl he has never seen before. A young girl about his age sits on a table enjoying a casual meal by herself. She has medium long honey brown hair that reaches to her shoulders, and sapphire blue eyes that bring out contrasting beauty. Unlike most girl in the island, this new girl is wearing semi-tomboyish clothing with a yellow shirt, blue jean shorts, red work boots, and an orange jacket. Another interesting feature is the orange-red bandanna she wears on her head.

Curious to know more about her, Mark points at the girl and asks Luke, **"Hey, who is that girl sitting over there?"**

**"Oh her?"** said Luke looking into the direction Mark is pointing at. **"I think her name is Chelsea, she's new to the island. I think she arrived yesterday to start a farm of her own."**

**"A farm? By herself? Wow, that's impressive!"**

Luke grinned and said, **"Why don't you go over there and talk to her? I'm pretty sure you two can talk about a lot of things, like farming and stuff."**

Mark sighs and lays his head on the table again while saying, **"There is no way I can do that. After all, I have no luck with women, I'm sure she wouldn't want to talk to someone like me."**

**"Suit yourself."** said Luke as he walks back to the kitchen to prepare Mark's food.

Without his noticing, the young girl named Chelsea had already started walking towards him. She stops next to him, and hopes that he'll notice her soon. After a moment, Mark looks up, and sees Chelsea standing next to him. This sudden shock causes him to jump up nervously out of his seat.

Chelsea smiles cheerfully and says, **"Hi there. Are you Mark, one of the founders of the island?"** Mark nods, but doesn't say a word. He is too shocked to believe that she actually is talking to him. Before he could do anything else, she takes his hand, and shakes it while saying, **"Wow, I can't believe I am meeting THE Mark. I'm like your biggest fan!"**

**"Me?"** asked Mark in a nervous tone. **"You're my fan? But I'm just a farmer, not a famous guy."**

**"But I read all about all of your accomplishments. You, with the help of a small family, took an inhabited island, and turned it into a new home for people who seek a better life. Doing something like this is not something anyone can do!"**

Mark's face turns red in embarrassment. He had no idea that someone had written something about his accomplishments in the island. Chelsea then continues, **"Because you've inspired me so much, I decided to come here, and start a farm of my own! It's not an easy job, but remembering how hard you had to work to get this island going will be the inspiration I need to keep working."**

**"I see, that's so great."** said Mark casually. Chelsea may be quite energetic, but Mark feels that this girl is someone he can get along with very well. **"So, how is your farm doing? It must be a lot of work for just one person."**

Chelsea sighs and says, **"It is a lot of work. I just started yesterday, but it's a lot more to handle than I ever thought. The digging, planting, and watering drains so much energy!"**

**"Well, you know. . . I do have a lot of experience with farming. I could help you out on my free time, and give you advice?"**

**"You you mean you'll become my farming coach?"** asked Chelsea. Mark nods happily, and she jumps for joy yelling, **"Thank you so much! I knew that you were a nice guy!"**

And so they parted ways as new friends. Chelsea told Mark how to get to her farm before they left the diner, and told him that he could visit at any time. What sort of new relationship will Mark and Chelsea develop?

End of Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Lanna Gets Angry_

A new day has come on Sunny Island. Mark wakes up in the morning as bright as the color of his hair. Without wasting any time, he starts his usual morning routine, and goes off to work in his ranch. There are less things to do that day, so Mark heads to the kitchen to get started on lunch a little earlier than normal.

In the kitchen, he makes his famous fried fish over rice and yam pudding like he usually does every day. But as he is about to place the cover on the boxed lunch, he stops to think for a moment. His friend Luke from the diner has told him to give up on Lanna the day before. As he remember the 2 years of rejection, he feels that maybe he has a point.

But even though he has decided to give up on Lanna, the fact remains that he still made lunch. He thought about eating it himself, but he came up with a better plan instead. Since he got his work done early, he feels that it may be a good idea to pay a visit to Chelsea's farm.

He packs the lunch in his backpack, then leaves his ranch, and heads to Chelsea's farm. According to the directions Chelsea gave to Mark the day before, her farm is located north of the Jungle area. It's quite a far walk, but he has more than enough time to get there before it gets late.

After getting past the Jungle area, Mark arrives at Chelsea's farm. Unlike his ranch, Chelsea only has a small house big enough for a single person to live in, but no other buildings. Just a large empty lot of fertile land good for growing crops. Her land is surrounded by huge mountains, so he can tell by the terrain that she will have no problems dealing with wild dogs or other wild animals.

Inside the farm, Mark finds Chelsea tilling the dirt to plant seeds. He can easily tell by the sweat on her forehead and the blazing sun that she is tired. The look on her face brings back memories of how he started in the farm. The Summer days were too hot, and the Winter days were too cold. Only the Spring and Fall were the only days that are not too rough.

After watching her for a minute, he decides that it was time to let her know that he has arrived. He walks in and waves while greeting, **"Hey Chelsea! You need a hand?"**

Chelsea looks up and finds Mark walking at her. She wipes the sweat off her face and pretends that she is not tired from the work. **"Hi Mark! I wasn't expecting you."**

Mark stops in the field, and takes a look at the work Chelsea has done so far. Since Chelsea has just started, he isn't surprised that not much has grown yet. Many of the tilled dirt plots didn't have any seeds in them, and those that did still need a lot of work.

**"I had some extra time from my ranch, so I thought I'd give you a hand with yours. I hope you don't mind."** said Mark in a bashful manner.

**"Really?!"** said Chelsea shocked that Mark would help her with the work. She then looks down and continues, **"But there's so much to do, I couldn't possibly ask you to help me do so much work."**

Mark smiles, then pulls out his tools and says, **"Don't worry about it! I'm glad to help!"**

**"Really? . . . Well, okay! You can help if you like!"** responded Chelsea happy to get some help in her farm.

**"So, what do you want me to do?"** asked Mark.

**"Well. . ."** Chelsea then pulls out several bags of corn seeds from her rucksack and says, **"You can water the onion seeds that already I planted, and I'll plant these seeds."**

**"No, you can't plant those seeds now!"** warned Mark.

**"Why not?"**

**"Because it's already so late in Summer. If you plant them now, you won't have enough time for a single harvest. You should save them for next year."**

**"Oh, you have a point."** said Chelsea as she puts the seeds back in her rucksack. **"Thanks for the advice, you're pretty good at this sort of thing."**

Mark's face turns red as he says, **"Well, you know. I did make a similar mistake a while ago. I grew some eggplants in the end of Fall, and I didn't get any crops from them."**

Chelsea laughs and they continue to work together in the farm. Since Mark has so much experience in crops, he explained to Chelsea that the crops only need a certain amount of sunlight and water to grow healthy. Too much water or sunlight might damage the crops, or the crops may wilt and die. Chelsea had no idea that raising crops needed a certain technique, so she is glad that she has a friend like Mark to teach her.

Meanwhile in the village, Lanna walks around the village to get some air and exercise. But as the time passes, she grows frustrated as she waits for Mark. She checks the time, and notices that it's already 2:15pm.

**"He's late!"** Lanna said to herself. **"Where is he? He always comes here at 2 o' clock to deliver my lunch, now he's not coming?"**

She only waits a few more minutes before she grows tired of waiting. She then decides to go to the Diner to have some lunch instead of waiting. In order to get to the diner, Lanna passes in front of the Cafe. As she passes it, the sweet smell of cakes, cookies, and pies lures her closer to the Cafe. She peeks into the window, and her eyes glow with excitement as she sees the other customers eating on all sorts of sweets that she loves so much.

Both her empty stomach and her love for sweets draw her towards the entrance of the Cafe. But before she touches the door handle, she stops herself, and takes a step back. **"Wait, what am I doing?"** she asked herself. **"I am a famous pop idol! I cannot be tempted with such high calorie sweets. I have a figure to maintain, my fans would be so disappointed with me if I gained weight!"**

But even as she tells herself that, the constant sweet smell coming from the Cafe continues to temp her to have a piece of cake. The pressure between the delicious sweets, and her job as a pop idol drives her mad. She has no other choice but to use her will power, and run away as fast as possible back to her own house.

Back at her house, she tries to catch her breath from running off so fast. But running only makes her feel even hungrier than before. So she takes a seat on the front steps and says to herself, **"Honestly, why do I have to deal with this anyway? When I was on tour, I always had someone bringing me lunch every day. Now that I'm living here by myself, I've always had Mark who brought me food every day. Not once have I gotten food for myself."**

She then stands up and starts to pout. She then grows angry and continues to say to herself, **"Where is that guy anyway! It's already thirty minutes past two, and I still haven't seen him yet!"**

Frustrated from waiting for so long, she then starts to march towards Mark's ranch as she says, **"Fine then, if he won't come to me, then I'll have to go to him and give him a piece of my mind! How dare he call himself a fan of mine!"**

She arrives at the ranch quickly, but she doesn't find him there. There is no answer at his door, she doesn't find him at the barn or coop, and he is not at the river where he fishes every day. This makes her feel even more frustrated than before. She's losing her patience, and she is only getting hungrier.

Since he is not at his ranch, she checks the other place that she knows he visits frequently. Doing her best to avoid the Cafe, she heads into the Diner to see if he's in there. After a quick scan, she doesn't find him there either. At this point, Lanna is very annoyed with Mark. She is so angry, that everyone else in the diner can see the angry aura around her. Rather than greeting her, they steer clear away from the unhappy Idol as she walks towards Luke.

Luke is busy counting the money he has earned from the lunch rush hour. It's already 4:00pm, dinner is about to start, and Lanna is hungry and very angry. Because he is so busy, he doesn't notice Lanna approach him. She then slams her palm on the table gaining Luke's attention, but at the same time scaring the wits out of him.

**"Where is he!"** yelled Lanna.

**"Um, who are you talking about?"** responded Luke.

**"Mark! That's who! I would like to have a word with him!"** answered Lanna.

Surprised to see her come to the Diner looking for Mark, he answered, **"I'm sorry, but Mark is not here right now."**

**"I can see that he's not here!!"** she yelled slamming her hands on the table repeatedly. **"What I want to know is where he is right now!!"**

**"Well, I'm sorry, but I really don't know where he is."** he answered almost fearing that she's going to strangle him. Just then, he remembers the conversation he overheard between Mark and Chelsea the afternoon before. He then tells Lanna, **"It may be possible that Mark is at Chelsea's farm though."**

**"Chelsea? Who is that?"** asked Lanna curiously.

**"Chelsea is a girl who just arrived a few days ago. She started her own farm up north of the Jungle area. She met Mark yesterday, and I overheard that he was interested in becoming her coach. He was so excited about it, he even forgot to eat lunch yesterday."**

Lanna places her hand on her chin, and thinks for a moment. Knowing Mark's personality, she could see him doing something like that. But she feels that being a coach is no excuse for leaving her hungry. After thanking Luke for the information, she leaves the diner, and heads to Chelsea's farm.

At the farm, Mark and Chelsea has just finished the work for the day. All the onion seeds has been properly planted in a good formation, and all the seeds have been watered. It is now finally time to have something to eat. So they sit together on a large boulder, and Chelsea pulls out a rice ball from her rucksack.

Mark notices her meal and asks, **"Is that all your having to eat? Just a rice ball?"**

Chelsea looks at her rice ball and admits, **"Well, I am a bit tight on money right now. I spent most of my money on buying this farm. The rest on seeds, tools, and whatever I can buy for food. Since I can't go to Luke's Diner every day, this is all I can eat until I can get a few harvests in."**

**"Even so, you still need to eat something a bit better than just a rice ball."** At that moment, Mark had an idea. He remembers the meal he has prepared earlier, and feels that it may be a good idea to share it with her.

At that moment, Lanna has just arrived at the farm. A big sign that says, _"Chelsea's Farm"_ is nailed to a fence post near the entrance. Glad that she found the place, she takes a look inside and sees Mark. But she hides behind the sign as soon as she notices that he is not alone. She peeks from behind the sign, and sees Chelsea sitting with him.

Curious to know what is going on between them, she stays hidden behind the sign. She watches Mark carefully and says to herself, **"I wonder what is Mark reaching for in his rucksack?"**

Just then, Mark pulls out his boxed lunch and says, **"Hey Chelsea. I made an extra lunch. If you like fish, you can have it."**

**"Are you sure it's okay? You haven't had anything to eat yet."**

He then hands her the boxed lunch and says, **"It's fine. I always eat later anyway, so just enjoy."**

Since he insisted, Chelsea accepts his boxed lunch, and opens it to see what's inside. Lanna's eyes pops open, and her jaw drops as soon as she sees that the lunch Mark has given Chelsea is the same exact lunch Mark usually gives her.

**"That. . . That. . . That's mine!!"** she stutters to herself as she watches Chelsea take the first bite of the lunch.

**"Wow! It's so good!"** yelled Chelsea. **"Did you really make this lunch yourself!?"**

Mark scratches the back of his head in a shy manner as he admits, **"Well, I did have years of experience making lunch."**

Chelsea continues to eat as she says, **"Wow! I can eat this every single day!"**

**"Is that so?"** asked Mark. **"Well, if you like. . . I can make lunch for you every day."**

**"Really? But You've done so much for me already. I couldn't ask you to do that for me."** answered Chelsea.

**"It's fine."** reassured Mark. **"I do it all the time, so there's no need to worry."**

Chelsea takes a deep breath and blushes. **"Thanks Mark. That will help me out a lot."**

Lanna sighs, and leaves the farm without saying anything to Mark. Seeing that she cannot get a free meal from Mark, she returns home empty handed. As soon as she arrives home, she realizes that she is still hungry. She is in no mood to go to the Diner or do any work, so she heads to her refrigerator where she pulls out some leftovers from yesterday's lunch. She then takes her lunch, and sits on her desk of half written pages.

In the middle of her meal, she puts her food down and crosses her arms. Even though it is her favorite food, eating yesterday's leftovers is something she is not used to, especially since Mark always bring her a fresh meal every day. Even though she is hungry, she is too frustrated and disappointed to eat.

**"Honestly, why do I have to put up with cold food?"** she asked herself. **"I am Lanna Songstress, a pop idol. And as a pop idol, I deserve a fresh meal every single day!"**

She then takes a deep breath and looks out the window. She then continues to speak to herself, **"That girl, Chelsea. I guess she must be Mark's type. After all, he did choose to give her that lunch, and not me. But I still would like to know what's her deal anyway. I mean, I understand that she's new and she needs help and everything, but she can't even afford her own meals."**

Out of frustration, she throws away the remains of the cold leftovers. After thinking for a moment, she concludes, **"I get it now. Luke says that Chelsea has just recently arrived in the island. So she's just pretending to act cute and innocent to take advantage of Mark. That's not fair, I was in the island first, so I should be the one who is allowed to take advantage of Mark!"**

Rather than sitting still, she pushes off the pile of papers off the desk, and grabs a fresh page to come up with a plan. It takes her a while to come up with an idea on how to get Mark to start making her daily lunches again. Later that night, she finished writing her plans, and she'll start putting them into effect tomorrow.

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Lanna's Plan_

Mark wakes up to another warm Summer day in Sunny Island. He opens his window to see the bright blue cloudless sky. The fair weather brightens his mood, and motivates him to do his best at the farm. He can tell that Chelsea, who also runs a farm, will enjoy the pleasant weather as well.

Just like clockwork, he goes to the bathroom and prepares himself for the day. After showering, and getting changed into his farming clothes and hat, Mark heads out to the farm, and begins to work. As usual, he starts with his animals, and then his crops. He is grateful to his wonderful stones that makes his job much faster and easier.

After he is done with his daily chores, he checks the time, and sees that it's about time to start cooking. Seeing that Chelsea enjoys his cooking, he plans to continue making the same fish recipe for her. However, he does intend to find out what else Chelsea likes, and try to learn how to cook new recipes for her. He then picks up his tools, and marches over to his house, so he can begin.

"Hi Mark!" Lanna's voice cried out from the distance. As soon as he hears her voice, he freezes in place, and drops his tools out of shock. He turns his head, and looks over to the entrance of the farm. At first, he felt that he might have imagined hearing Lanna's voice. However, there she is, walking towards him with her usual aqua green dress, walking boots, and the frilly barret resting on her head.

As she walks toward him, his heart beats ridiculously fast. He feels nervous seeing her so suddenly, this is the first time that he is aware of that Lanna has entered his farm. Because Mark has been working, he is a bit dirty, and he smells like barn animals. He only wishes that Lanna had given him a fair warning that she was coming over, he does feel a bit embarrassed that he is dirty.

Lanna stands in front of him, and gives him a warm smile. Even though Mark has spoken to Lanna many times before, he feels nervous and lost for words at that moment. But he knows that just saying nothing would be rude, so he says, "H. . .Hi Lanna. What can I do for you today?"

Lanna tilts her head a bit, and smiles for Mark. But deep inside, she is smirking fiendishly, knowing that she already has Mark at the palm of her hand like putty. "Hey Mark, how are you doing? Have you finished your work for the day?"

Mark nods, but he is so nervous, that he couldn't say anything. So Lanna continues, "I have some free time today, so I was wondering if you want to go on that date you keep asking me out to."

Mark's eyes pop open, and his left eye twitches out of shock. Just as he had given up hope that Lanna would ever accept his invitation to a date, she comes over, and asks him out instead. He pinches himself, thinking that this may be a dream. But he does feel the pinch, so he knows that this is real.

Lanna stands there waiting for an answer. He wants to accept her offer, but he also knows that he planned to be somewhere. "Um, you mean now?" he asked sheepishly. "I would like to, but I kinda have something to do right now, so. . ."

Suddenly, an artery bulges on Lanna's forehead. Her calming smile turns into a frown that seems life threatening. She steps forward and yells, "Are you turning me down!?"

Mark sweats nervously, and peacefully gives in. "Who me? No, of course not. I would never turn you down."

Lanna's frown turns into a smile once again, which relieves Mark. She then grabs his arm and drags him out of the farm saying, "Okay then, lets go to Luke's diner. We can have something to eat, then we can talk for a bit."

As Mark is being dragged out of the farm, he says, "Wait Lanna, can't this wait a few minutes. I have to wash up, and change clothes, and make a phone call."

"Oh don't worry too much about it, you look fine!" said Lanna.

"But. . . What about that other thing that I had to do. I need to let someone know that I'm going to be late." continued Mark.

Lanna smirks, but because she is looking away, Mark can not see it. She is fully aware that Mark is talking about making and delivering lunch to Chelsea. So she says, "Oh, I'm sure you can do that later. After all, it's not like I have a lot of free time on my hands, so lets seize the moment!"

Mark sighs and peacefully gives in. He knows that Lanna normally never has any spare time to go out with him. He'll have to come up with a good excuse, and go over to Chelsea's farm later.

Some time later, Lanna and Mark arrives at Luke's diner. Luke says, "Welcome to my diner, can I take your-" He becomes as stiff as a board as soon as he sees Mark and Lanna entering the diner together. Just as Mark was earlier, Luke is too shocked for words.

As Mark looks at Luke's shocked expression, he scratches the back of his head and says, "Hi there Luke. Can I have a table for two?"

Luke quickly rushes over, and pushes Mark to the back saying, "Excuse me Lanna, I'll need to borrow Mark for a moment."

As soon as they are out of hearing range, Luke asks, "Mark, what is going on here?"

Mark answers, "Believe it or not, we're on a date."

Luke nearly faints from shock. Just the other day, he told her to just give up on her. The next day, Lanna came bursting into his diner looking for him. Now Mark and Lanna are walking into the diner together as a couple. There is no measure on how surprised he is.

"You're on a date with the village's pop idol?" asked Luke. "How the hell did you manage to do that? Even Lloyd, Lanna's biggest fan can't get her to talk to him, let alone date him."

"I don't know how it happened." admitted Mark. "She just came to my farm, and she asked me out. She wouldn't take no for an answer either."

"You're kidding!" whispered Luke.

Mark then clasps his hands together, and begs, "Luke, I'm begging you. Make sure that this date goes well. Whatever she wants, make it as best as you possibly can!"

Luke pats Mark on the shoulder and says, "Stop it! You don't have to beg. I got you covered."

Mark thanks him, and they join back with Lanna. Luke then takes them to a special table he reserves for young couples to have a good time. As they sit together, Mark quickly notices the other guests staring at them, he can even hear some whispering. His face turns red in embarrassment, last thing he needs is for the other guests to make Lanna feel uncomfortable.

However, Lanna pays no mind to the other guests. She places a napkin on her lap, and waits for the menu. After Luke hands her the menu, Lanna asks, "Mark, you don't mind if I order anything I want, would you?"

"Of course I don't mind. Go ahead and help yourself." insisted Mark.

Lanna smiles, and giggles at how she already has Mark enslaved to her. Luke then walks over to Lanna and asks, "May I take your order?"

Lanna takes a moment to look at the menu and says, "I'll have the lobster special, the special tuna sushi, the herb baked salmon, and some yam pudding. But only a little bit of pudding, I'm on a diet."

"Very well." said Luke. He then walks over to Mark and whispers, "Are you sure you can afford all this? She's ordering the most expensive items on the menu!"

"Don't worry, I'll manage somehow." Mark whispers back. He then orders some spaghetti. Luke then goes to the back to cook their order.

Some time later, Lanna finishes her entire order. Not even a sliver of fish was left over on the plate. As she dabs her lips with a towelette, Mark comments, "Wow, that's some appetite you have."

Lanna places the towelette on the table and replies, "Well, I was a bit hungry. You see, I didn't get to eat much yesterday."

After hearing that, Mark hangs his head in shame. He usually makes her lunch every day, but he didn't make her any the day before. Seeing that she has caught him in a vulnerable moment, she begins her plan.

"So Mark, what happened to you yesterday. You didn't come to see me at all." she asked.

Mark scratches the back of his head trying to find the right words to say. "Well, you see. . . I had to go see a friend yesterday. I guess I sort of lost track of time."

Lanna knows that he's trying to hide something. Luckily, she knows all about how Mark went over to Chelsea's farm, and gave away the lunch he normally gives her. However, she pretends that she doesn't know anything, and asks, "This friend you're talking about, is she a girl?"

Mark looks away for a moment, and says, "Um, yes she is. She's a farmer just like me, so I was giving her some advice. She is new at the job, so. . ."

Mark then looks at Lanna, and notices her looking sad. He sees a teardrop rolling down her cheek as well. Mark panics and asks, "Lanna, what's wrong!? Why are you so sad!?"

Lanna looks away and says, "Mark, you're so cruel! You always said that you liked me, but now you're seeing another girl behind my back."

Mark panics even more, and says, "Wait Lanna! Don't get the wrong idea! We just met, I am not seeing her!"

Lanna continues, "Don't worry, I understand. You don't like me anymore because I never have enough free time. After all, that's why you went to go see her, and completely forgot about me. I bet you even made lunch for her."

Mark sighs. He knows she's right. He felt that Lanna would never go out with him, so he had given up on her to see Chelsea. He tilts his head down in shame and says, "Lanna, I'm sorry. I really do like you, and I would like us to be good friends."

Lanna looks back at him with her eyes glowing like crystal beads. "You really mean that Mark?" He nods. "So, does that mean you'll continue to make me lunches from now on?"

Mark nods twice and says, "Yeah, just like before."

Lanna smiles. She then stands up quickly and says, "Okay, date's over!"

"Already?" asked Mark shocked by her sudden outburst.

Lanna nods proudly and says, "Yes, I have to get back to work now. Thank you so much for lunch Mark!" She then walks out of the diner saying, "I'll see you tomorrow at the usual time!"

As she leaves, Mark continues to sit there, unsure of what to do. In a way, he felt cheated, but on the other hand, he feels happy. He then stands up, and cheers out loud, "Yahoo!! I actually went on a date with Lanna! I actually did it!" Everyone else in the diner stares at him, but do nothing to rain on his parade.

Outside the diner, Lanna giggles at how well her plan went. She then pulls out a small bottle of alligator tears and says, "I can't believe it, Mark fell for it! He is so gullible, it's almost too funny. I'll have to thank my manager for those acting classes, because it sure came in handy."

Mark does go over to Chelsea's farm later that day. However, there wasn't enough time for Mark to cook something for her, so he brought something he ordered from the diner. Paying for all the food left him flat broke, but he is too happy to care.

The next day, Lanna walks around in her usual spot to get some fresh air. She checks the time, and sees that it's about time that Mark arrives with her lunch. For Lanna, this is a moment of truth to see if her plan has worked or failed.

A moment later, Mark arrives and says, "Hey Lanna, sorry I made you wait."

Lanna looks at Mark and says, "Oh, hi Mark. I'm glad you came!"

Mark then pulls out a lunch box from his backpack, and says, "I made this for you, I hope you'll accept it."

Lanna takes the lunch, and says, "Thank you Mark, your fish and yam pudding are always the best!"

Mark blushes and says, "I really enjoyed our little date yesterday. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

"Maybe." said Lanna.

Mark then waves and says, "Well, I have to get going, see you later!"

Lanna nods, and Mark leaves. She is happy that her plan was a success. But after a moment, she notices something odd. Normally, Mark would go directly to the diner to get something for himself to eat. But this time, Mark is heading to the jungle, the direction where Chelsea's farm is.

Curious to know what's going on, Lanna yells out, "Mark, where are you going!?"

Mark turns around and and says, "I'm going to make a delivery to the other farm!" He then pulls out a second lunch from his rucksack, and shows it to Lanna.

Shock strikes Lanna like a bolt of lightning. Her plan of getting Mark to make her lunch was a total success, but she was not counting on Mark to make lunch for Chelsea as well. She doesn't know why, but she feels bothered by this.

"I'll have to get going, I don't want to be late. See you later!" said Mark as he was about to leave.

"Mark wait!" cried Lanna stopping Mark on his tracks. She then walks up to him, and takes a good look at the second lunch. She then looks up at him and says, "You know Mark. . . Today I'm feeling really hungry."

"Oh, is that so?" said Mark as he stares at the second boxed lunch.

Lanna continues, "Yeah, I'm REALLY hungry. Hungry enough, that I can eat. . . Two lunches today."

"Um. . ." Mark then looks at the second lunch again. He wants to give it to her, but he made it especially for Chelsea. He doesn't have enough money to go out and buy an extra lunch at the diner for either of them. "Well, you see. . . I made this lunch for my friend, so. . ."

Lanna then snatches the second lunch, and says, "Don't worry so much about your friend. I'm sure she can manage to find something to eat on her own. I, on the other hand, need the energy to do my work."

Mark wants to protest, but Lanna has already stolen Chelsea's lunch, so he feels that there isn't anything he could do about it. Lanna then walks behind Mark, and shoves him towards the direction of the diner and says, "Everything is going to work out fine! Just go to the diner, and get something to eat. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Mark scratches his head and says, "Well, if you say so. I'll see you tomorrow then!"

Mark then walks off towards the diner. There wasn't anything he could do, arguing with Lanna was futile. After he is out if sight, Lanna broods angrily and yells to herself, "I can't believe it! That two timer! He's only allowed to make lunch for me, not Chelsea too! This is no good, Mark is probably going to make three lunches from now on to make sure that he has enough for that girl!"

She then looks at the two lunches in her hands and sighs. "Honestly, what am I going to do with a second lunch anyway? I can't possibly eat both of them myself, I already ate too much yesterday."

After staring at the lunches for a moment, she the looks over towards the direction of Chelsea's farm. She smirks as she develops a new plan. "Well, looks like it's time for Plan B. If Mark doesn't want to give up on Chelsea, I'll have Chelsea give up on him instead!"

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Lanna's Jealousy_

Chelsea is in her farm watering the crops that she had planted with Mark earlier. She then looks up at the blazing Summer sun, and wipes the sweat off her face. The crops in her farm are sprouting, but the work is a bit much for her to handle on her own.

She takes a look at the entrance to her farm, and hopes to see Mark come over and give her a hand. But just like the last time she checked, Mark is nowhere in sight. She fully understands that Mark can't help her out every day. He does have a farm of his own to care for.

After she is done watering the crops, she feels a rumbling in her stomach. It's already 3:00 pm, and Mark has not arrived to bring her anything to eat. She cannot afford to go to the diner, and have a decent meal either. So she sighs, and tells herself that she'll have to eat herbs for the day.

Just as Chelsea is about to walk back inside her home, Lanna arrives at the farm. She hides behind the big sign that says "Chelsea's Farm", and watches her for a moment. Before she arrived at her farm, Lanna has already practiced what she was going to say to her. Her main goal is to get Chelsea to give up on Mark, at least until she is done with her music.

When her timing is perfect, she walks in with the most kindest and gentle smile Lanna can wear. If she is going to be very convincing, she wants to be as friendly as possible. Just as Chelsea reaches the door to her house, she finally realizes that she has company.

Chelsea walks towards Lanna, and greets, "Hello, welcome to my farm. My name is Chelsea, how can I help you?"

Lanna smiles cheerfully and says, "Hello Chelsea. My name is Lanna Songstress. I came to pay you a visit."

"Lanna Songstress? Why does that sound so familiar?" asked Chelsea to herself. She takes a good look at Lanna, it takes her a minute to notice who she is. The chocolate brown eyes, the long blond hair,and the aqua green dress. After she finally realizes who she is, Chelsea gasps and yells, "Oh my god! You're Lanna Songstress, the famous pop idol!"

"Yes, that's me!" nodded Lanna.

Chelsea's eyes glow with excitement as she yells, "Oh my goodness, I have a famous pop idol in my farm! I'm so like your biggest fan! I love your music so much! Please tell me you'll give me your autograph!"

Lanna looks away and says, "Great! She's a fan of mine. This may be easier that I thought."

She then faces Chelsea again and says, "I'll get you that autograph later. For now. . ." She pulls out the boxed lunches from behind her back and continues, "A man named Mark asked me to deliver this to you. I was hoping if we could eat together, and have a little chat."

Chelsea places her hands on her blushing cheeks and says, "Wow, you want to have lunch with me? I'm so honored!" She quickly opens the door, and lets Lanna inside her home.

Lanna enters Chelsea's house, and feels a bit disappointed. Nothing inside even remotely looks anything like a house for a girl. The walls are plain, and there is hardly any type of decorations or furniture. Just a table, a single bed, some chairs, and a door leading to the bathroom.

Chelsea rubs the back of her head bashfully and says, "Sorry about my home. I just moved here a little while ago. I'm having a hard time making some money, so I haven't hadn't made enough to remodel the house."

"It's fine, I understand." sighed Lanna. They then sit together on the table, and opens their lunch boxes. Just like always, Mark has cooked fish over rice with yam pudding.

Chelsea takes a bite, and nearly screams with joy. "Wow, this is definitely Mark's lunch. I haven't had it very often, but I can already recognize his handiwork!"

"Yes, Mark is quite talented in the kitchen." said Lanna before taking a bite herself.

After they have finished eating, Chelsea makes some tea, and gives Lanna a cup. She then begins the flurry of fan questions, "So tell me, why are you on this island? Are you hiding from your fans in the city? Are you on vacation?"

Lanna laughs, then answers, "No, I'm not. Actually to be honest, I'm in the middle of writing lyrics to my second album."

Chelsea gasps cheerfully and says, "Wow, a new album? It's been years since your first CD, I can't wait until your new one comes out!"

At this point, she feels as if she got her in her trap. She then begins the next phase in her plan. She takes a sip of her tea, then says, "Actually, that's why I am here."

Chelsea looks at Lanna with a surprised expression and asks, "Really? What's up?"

Lanna then pretends to act bashful and asks, "Well you see. . . How do you feel about Mark?"

"Mark? asked Chelsea. She takes a moment to think, then answers, "Well, I think Mark is a great guy. He helps me out whenever he has a chance, and he is a great cook. I guess I do like him, if he ever decides to ask me out, I would definitely say yes."

Hearing that has made Lanna feel a bit annoyed, but she tries her best to keep cool. She then puts her tea down and says, "I see, that may be a problem. You see. . . Mark and I already have a relationship of our own."

"Oh, I see. . ." sighed Chelsea sadly. "I had no idea that you were Mark's girlfriend."

"I AM NOT MARK'S GIRLFRIEND!!!" snapped Lanna standing up and slamming her hands on the table. Chelsea jumps back at Lanna's quick and sudden reaction. She felt that a viper had just snapped it's jaws just out of her reach.

Lanna quickly sits down, and takes another sip of the tea. Chelsea then feels that it is safe to sit back down. Lanna then says, "Please don't misunderstand me. Mark and I are not in that type of relationship. You see, Mark is a very loyal fan of mine, and because of that, he has devoted himself to making lunches for me in order to help me have sufficient energy to write my lyrics."

"I see. . ." said Chelsea. "So, what does this have to do with me?"

Lanna folds her hands on the table and says, "Well Chelsea. . . You see, when Mark met you, he's been neglecting his duties in making my daily lunch. Without it, I have a hard time concentrating, and I cannot write very well. So I was wondering if you could keep your distance from him for a while. After I am done, you can have him again. But for now, I need him for the sake of music."

"You're asking me to tell him not to come by my farm anymore?" asked Chelsea. Lanna nods, and finishes off her tea.

Chelsea takes a while to think about Lanna's request. She would like to help Lanna, but her request does seem to be quite unreasonable. After thinking for a while, Chelsea answers, "Well, I would like to help. . . I guess I would like to see a new album released soon. . ."

"Great! I knew you would understand!" cheered Lanna.

"However. . ." interrupted Chelsea raining on Lanna's parade. "Mark has been such a great guy to me. He helps me, and he makes me lunch. He's been a great friend, I couldn't possibly just tell him to just go away."

"But. . . It's for the sake of music!" said Lanna.

Chelsea shakes her head no and says, "I'm sorry, but I can't. Even if it's only for a while, I like Mark too much to just tell him to leave me alone."

Lanna growls angrily and yells, "This is so not fair! I was on this island first, so Mark belongs to me!!" She then quickly covers her moth and says to herself, "Wow, that didn't come out right. That sounded like I actually like him too."

There was a pause for a good minute. Lanna was shocked about what she just blurted out in an excited moment. Chelsea didn't know what to make of it. Chelsea then takes a deep breath and says, "Um, Lanna. I hope you don't mind me saying, but could it be that you may be a little jealous?"

Lanna then starts to tremble with frustration. Chelsea takes a step back, she can clearly see by how upset Lanna has now become. She is so mad, she is about to explode like a bomb.

"J. . J. . Jealous!! HOW DARE YOU?!?!?! Did you forget who you're talking to?! I am Lanna Songstress, a famous pop idol singer! I have no reason to be jealous of you! I am so famous, I can have any man that I want! Including Mark! Why on earth would I be jealous of a newbie farmer like you?!" Chelsea is speechless. Asking her that question was not one of her better choices in words, but she had no idea that Lanna would get so upset about it.

After a moment, Lanna takes a few deep breaths, and calms down a bit. She then takes her empty box, and says, "I don't need to take this from you! I'm leaving! Goodbye!" She then walks out of Chelsea's house, nearly slamming the door behind her.

Chelsea just stood there still shocked by Lanna's reaction. All she could day is, "Wow, she's so different that I had ever imagined her. I guess the pop idol business must be getting to her. What a shame, I was hoping we could be friends."

The next day, Lanna wakes up, and gets ready for work. She sits on her chair, and begins to think about any lyrics that she may come up today. But rather than writing anything useful, every other word was "Chelsea" and "Jealous". After throwing some paper away, Lanna rests her head on her hands and says to herself, "Come on Lanna. You have to get it together! Two years, and you still have nothing! If the manager finds out, he's going to be so mad!"

She then takes a deep breath, and decides to go outside for some fresh air. She walks around in circles, hoping to get some type of idea on what to write about. She had many ideas in the past two years, but they were rejected. The more she thinks about it, the more she gets worried.

As she walks around in circles, she stops to see someone walking around nearby. She hides, and watches Mark walk around town. She notices that Mark is heading towards the jungle area of the island. And the only reason Mark would ever go there, is to go visit Chelsea.

Watching him head towards Chelsea's farm makes her feel a bit upset. After a quick moment, she decides to follow Mark to Chelsea's farm. As she is following him, Lanna says to herself, "That's it, I'm getting tired of this two timing business. If Mark doesn't want to leave Chelsea, and if Chelsea doesn't want to leave Mark, I'll have to separate them myself."

Lanna continues to Follow Mark through the jungle, hiding behind trees and rocks. Far enough so that she doesn't get noticed, but close enough so that she doesn't lose track him. After leaving the jungle, Lanna finds out that her suspicions are correct. Mark is heading into Chelsea's farm.

Chelsea is inside her farm clearing away any weeds that has grown in the farm. Soon enough, she finds Mark walking towards her. She doesn't notice Lanna hiding just outside her farm.

"Hey there Chelsea. I got done with the farm work early today, so I thought I'd give you a hand." greeted Mark.

Chelsea smiles and says, "Thank you Mark, I would appreciate it very much. Oh, speaking of appreciation, thanks for the lunch yesterday, it was delicious."

"Lunch?" Mark asked. "What are you talking about, I didn't-"

"Mark!" interrupted Lanna's voice. Mark and Chelsea both look over to the entrance of the farm to fine Lanna walking over. They both cringe in fear, Lanna does not look happy at all.

Lanna walks up to Mark and says, "Mark, what are you doing here? You know it's rude to stand a girl up!"

Mark scratches his head in confusion, and answers, "But, I didn't stand you up."

"Don't give me that!" snapped Lanna. "You know darn well that you come over to visit me at two o'clock in the afternoon every day!"

"But it's 10:30 am." answered Mark. "There's still plenty of time before I visit you."

"Never mind that!" growled Lanna. She then grabs his arm, and begins to drag him out of Chelsea's farm saying, "Come on! We're going on a date!"

"You mean right now? But it's so sudden, and I planned to-"

"Just be quiet, and lets go!" interrupted Lanna.

Lanna continues to drag Mark out of the farm ignoring any complaints from Mark. As soon as they are out of the farm, and out of Chelsea's vision and hearing range, Lanna pushes Mark against the closest tree and yells, "Okay, fess up! What's going on between you and Chelsea!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." said Mark. "I was just helping Chelsea out with her farm, that's all."

"Is that right?" asked Lanna. She then looks over at his rucksack, and folds her arms asking, "What do you have in there today? Lunch for Chelsea?"

"Well. . . Yes. I made lunch early, so I thought I'd take it with me, and eat at lunchtime." answered Mark.

Lanna throws her arms down, and yells, "Mark, You can't go and make lunches for two different girls, it's not right!"

"Why not?" asked Mark.

"Because. . ." Lanna tries her best to come up with a good excuse. But after several minutes of thinking, she cannot come up with anything. So she just says, "Just because it's not!"

She then turns away and folds her arms again saying, "Mark, I think it's about time you choose who you want to make lunch for. Me or Chelsea, make your choice right now!"

Mark is speechless. He wants to say something, but he doesn't know what to tell her. There is another moment of silence. Lanna stands there waiting for Mark's answer, while Mark tries to make any sense out of what Lanna is telling her. After a while, Mark asks, "Um, Lanna? Could it be that you may be jealous of Chelsea?"

Lanna's eyes open wide out of shock. She turns around, and shows Mark the scariest face he has ever seen in his life. He almost swears that Lanna was going to kill him for a moment.

Lanna then explodes, "JEALOUS!!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!! DID YOU FORGET WHO YOUR TALKING TO!!!!" She then starts poking Mark as hard as she could yelling, "Listen to me Mark! I! DO! NOT! GET! JEALOUS! OVER! ANYONE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!!!" Mark nods, but remains quiet. Last thing he wants is a slap at this point.

Lanna then turns away once again, and says, "You know what, I change my mind. I don't want to go on a date anymore. Goodbye!"

Lanna then storms away. But before she leaves, Mark calls her. She looks back, and sees that Mark took out a boxed lunch out of his backpack. "Since you're here, I might as well give you your lunch!" called Mark.

Lanna storms back to Mark, and snatches the boxed lunch. "I am still not going on a date with you!" she yelled before storming back home.

Lanna enters her home, and slams the door behind her. She then opens the lunch, and begins to shovel the food into her mouth angrily. "Stupid Mark!" she complained before filling her mouth a second time with food. "How dare he talk that way to me!" She then continues to stuff her face once again. After chewing and swallowing, she continues to complain, "And to think that I actually thought of him as my fan! Well, let me say this! I don't need him, he can just go ahead, and marry Chelsea for all I care!"

She then dips her spoon into the lunch, and then realizes that there is no more food left. She looks in, and feels a bit bad. She ate the lunch so fast, she never even have a change to enjoy it at all. After cleaning some rice off her face, she sat down on her desk and tries to get back to work.

She tries her best to write something, anything. But as she sits there for hours, she doesn't think about anything but Mark. Later at night, she begins to feel bad that she yelled at Mark earlier. All she wanted was for Mark to continue to make lunch for her. But seeing him make lunch or Chelsea as well just plain bothered her.

She sits back on her chair, and places the pencil in her mouth. She looks out into the dark Summer evening, and wonders for a while. Has she offended Mark? Will he want to continue to make her lunch every day?

Lanna sighs and begins to talk to herself, "I just don't get it. Why did I get so upset for? All he is doing is making lunch, there shouldn't be any reason I should get so mad. But you know, it has been two whole years since Mark and I met for the first time. At that point, I didn't pay much attention to him, because lots of people give me gifts. But after a while, the gifts stop coming in, and Mark was the only one who still brought me something every day. I guess I kinda got so used to it, I just don't want it to stop.

But you know, not once have I done something for Mark. Maybe I should do something for him, to thank him for all the lunches he has brought me every day. He doesn't have to, it's not like he owes me a lunch every day. I guess I should do something for him. But what should I do for him?"

Lanna looks over at the Calendar, and notices that it's the 23 day of Summer. Just two days before the Fireworks Festival. "Hmm. . . The Fireworks Festival? I've been so busy with my work, I have been skipping just about every festival. Just when was the last time I attended any festivals anyway? I guess even before I came to this island, I was busy being a pop idol to do fun stuff like that."

Lanna hen stands up and says, "Fine, it's decided! I'll ask Mark if he would like to escort me to the Fireworks Festival. It's the least I could do for him as a 'Thank You' for all the good food he has given me."

**To be continued.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Lanna's Date_

The next morning at around 10:00 am, Lanna decides to pay Mark's farm another visit. She plans to first apologize to Mark for how she acted the day before. Then afterwards, ask Mark to accompany her to the Fireworks Festival. As she approaches the farm, she begins to get butterflies in her stomach. It's not often that she goes to his farm, but she feels awkward about going to his farm today. Almost like when she goes on stage in a concert, and she feels nervous about singing before an audience.

As she walks to the farm, she wonders why the sudden change. Last time she went to his farm to ask him out, she was full of confidence. Now she's nervous about what Mark will tell her. She wonders if maybe it's because of what she said yesterday that makes her feel this way this time around. But just like in a concert, she roots for herself, tell herself that she can do it, and goes ahead with the show.

She finds Mark watering the tomato crops hoping for another harvest before the end of the season. The weather has been fair all season long with little rainfall, and enough sunlight for a healthy harvest. As she watches him from just outside the farm, she hesitates to go inside. But after taking a deep breath, she marches inside without showing any of the nervous feelings that she has.

"Hello Mark." she greets as she gets close to him.

Mark turns his attention to Lanna, and smiles for her. "Hello Lanna, I'm glad you came by."

From only a few feet away, Lanna looks down to her toes. She has recited the lines she wanted to say over and over before she arrived. But for some odd reason, she has a hard time letting them out. She takes another deep breath before saying "Listen Mark, I have something to say. . ."

"I have something to say too." replied Mark. Before allowing her to say anything to her, Mark bows before Lanna, and says, "I'm sorry Lanna."

Lanna jumps back an inch. The last thing she would expect Mark to do is apologize to her. "W-what are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong." she said nervously.

"It's because I said something yesterday that made you upset at me. I didn't mean to make you mad, I just. . . I'm sorry."

Mark continues to bow and apologize to Lanna. She is speechless, she had planned to apologize to him. Apologizing to him at this point would make her feel awkward. She crosses her arms, and looks at Mark with a loss for words. She sighs deeply and says, "Okay, fine. I forgive you. Just quit apologizing already, you're embarrassing yourself."

Mark stands back up, and says, "Really? You'll forgive me? So. . . We can still be friends?"

"Of course we can still be friends." nodded Lanna.

Mark smiles cheerfully. His golden smile under the warm morning sun's rays makes her heart skip a beat. She tries her best to hide how she feels, she wants to run away, and hide in her home for a while. But she is determined to at least thank him for the lunches he goes out of his way and makes for her.

"So, I guess I'll see you later at the usual time?" asked Mark.

"Actually, I want to ask you something." said Lanna. Mark stands by waiting patiently for Lanna's question. But since Mark ruined her plan for an apology, she needs to come up with a new plan to ask Mark to the Fireworks Festival. Luckily as a pop idol, she has been in situation where things didn't go as planned, so she can at least wing it.

"Mark, I'm thinking about going to the Fireworks Festival tomorrow. But I don't feel comfortable going by myself. . . So I was wondering if you could take me to the festival tomorrow."

Mark is very surprised. In the two years that Mark has lived in the island, not once did he notice her in any festivals. She always said that she was too busy to attend any festivals, so he never bothered to ask her. But Lanna has come to his farm asking him to accompany her to the Fireworks Festival held the next day.

"Lanna. . . Are you asking me out on a date?" asked Mark curiously.

Lanna recrossed her arms and looks away saying, "No, I am not asking you out on a date. This is just me saying 'thanks' for all the delicious food you bring me."

"I see. . ." said Mark disappointed by her answer.

She then turns around, and pouts while saying, "I thought it would make you happy to have the honor of escorting your favorite idol to the festival. But if you don't want to take me, that's fine. I can just ask someone else."

Mark takes a step towards her. Hearing him get closer makes her heart race. As she turns to look at him, now inches away, she can't help but blush seeing him so close. With a gentle smile on his face, he responds, "Lanna, I'd be happy to be your escort to the Fireworks Festival."

Seeing Mark's face again so close turns her face completely red. She looks away again to hide her face behind her long golden hair. She couldn't believe how Mark's answer is making her feel. Her heart is beating so quickly, she feels that it could burst. She then holds her chest hoping that Mark does not notice and says, "Okay. . . I'll wait for you at my house tomorrow. . . Pick me up at six. . . Don't be late. . ."

Without waiting for his reply, Lanna walks out of the farm quickly, almost as fast as a light jog. She doesn't want Mark to see her this way. As soon as she gets out of sight, she stops and holds her chest trying to calm her frantic heart beat. As she tries her best to calm herself, she whispers to herself, "Why do I feel this way today? All I'm doing is asking Mark to accompany me to the festival. I didn't feel this way when I asked him to treat me to lunch. . . Could it be that I'm in. . . No, it can't be. . . I don't want to go through this again. . ."

After a few minutes of breathing deeply, she finally is able to calm down. She then lightly slaps her cheeks and reminds herself, "That's right. I am a pop idol, and Mark is a fan of mine. We are only friends, two completely different people from two different worlds. I don't have any time for any romances right now, I'm just going with him as a close friend, that's all."

With that decided, Lanna goes back home, and tries to get some work done. But as she sits on her desk, concentrating on writing lyrics become increasingly difficult. All she can write about is Mark. Every single time the word "mark" appears on paper, even if it's not referring to her friend Mark, She tears up the page, and starts over. After several Hours, she grows tired, and takes the day off to rest herself.

The next day, Lanna spends the entire day trying to figure out what to wear to the festival. She is in her bedroom with a pile of clothing on her bed. As she stares at the clothing, she sighs deeply. Not once while she has been living on the island, she had done so much preparation for going out.

She picks up a red frilly dress, and goes over to the mirror to check it out. After staring at it for a few minutes, she says "Would this be good for going to a festival? . . . No, I think this dress is too flashy."

She then picks up a light blue shirt, and jeans, and wears them. She then takes another look at the mirror, but sighs and says, No, no, no. This doesn't look like me at all."

She then tries the white blouse, and a long red skirt. As she looks in the mirror, she smiles at how attractive she looks. But trying to imagine how she would look with Mark next to her, she shakes her head no, and tries on a different dress. Hour after hour, Lanna tries on all types of dress, from fancy to casual, elegant to conservative, flashy to plain. Seeing that time is running out, she sighs, and opens up her closet filled with copies of her aqua green dress with the black frills.

She then takes out a clean pressed aqua green dress and says, "Looks like I'm wearing this today. But just to be different, I'll leave the barret home." After deciding what dress to wear, she goes off to take a shower. She then combs her hair, and wears some make up. A light tan blush to give her skin some color, and some glossy lipstick for a cute charm.

After getting ready, she looks at the clock, and sees that it's almost time for Mark to pick her up. But as she looks in the mirror, she begins to wonder why is she doing so much preparation for the festival. She keeps telling herself that she's not going on a date, but the more time that passes, the more that she feels like she's preparing for one.

About a few minutes past six, Mark knocks on the door. Lanna only takes a moment to open the door. Like Lanna, Mark does not wear anything special, although he was tempted to. Just a clean set of his usual clothes. But as he gazes at Lanna that evening, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat. She is wearing the same dress as she usually does, but without the barret. But he can notice something different about her. Glowing skin, glossy lips, flower scented perfume. To him, it feels more like a date than just escorting her.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Lanna, kicking Mark out of his trance.

"Um. . . Yes. I'm ready." said Mark. They then walk out of the village together, and head over to the beach were the festival is held.

In the beach, many of the villagers have set up stands to keep everyone entertained until the firework are lit several hours later. As Mark and Lanna walk together at the festival, Lanna keeps looking around, but pays little attention to the stalls. Mark notices her act strangely, she almost looks like if she's looking for something.

"Is anything wrong Lanna? You look tense." asked Mark.

Lanna looks at Mark and says, "Nothing really. I just can't help the feeling that someone is going to jump out at me, and take my picture or something. Every time I go to festivals, people typically don't leave me alone, and keep asking for my autograph."

"It's not going to happen, because just about everyone is used to you living on the island. There's no point in asking for one now, they can ask you anytime." Mark whispered to himself.

Lanna then thinks for a moment and says, "I also can't shake the feeling that I am being watched. It may be that I am not used to being left alone during a festival, but still. . ."

Lanna continues to look around for reporters and fans. But as she looks around, a candy stall catches her eye. In the stall, some cotton candy on a stick is shown on display. At this moment, Lanna's love for sweets takes over. She clasps her hands together, and her eyes glow with delight as she stares at the sweet treat in the candy stand.

She can't help herself but to separate herself from Mark, and run to the candy stand. Mark scratches his head, and cheerfully laughs at her. This is the first time that he has seen Lanna act more like a little girl, rather than a busy pop idol. He finds it rather cute and charming.

Lanna approaches the stand, and reaches out for the cotton candy. But before she touches it, she pulls her hand away. She tilts her head down in shame, knowing full well that she has an image to maintain. But the pink ball of cotton on a stick looks so good, she has a hard time not looking at it. Using as much will power, she turns away so that she doesn't look at it.

Mark on the other hand, takes the cotton candy, and pays for it. He then shows it to her and says, "Here, have some cotton candy."

Lanna looks away and says, "I don't want it."

"Why not? It looks really good!"

Lanna takes another look it the cotton candy. The more Mark offers it to her, the harder it is to resist. But she looks away again and says, "Because I am on a diet. All of my fans would be upset if I gained weight before I finish my work."

"Oh come on, it's a festival today. It's okay to treat yourself on a day like this. Go on, have some!" Mark continued to offer.

Lanna takes another look at the cotton candy. She knows that she really wants it, she has loved cotton candy ever since she was a child. If she was alone, she could avoid it. But having Mark talking her into having some cotton candy just makes it far too difficult.

Lanna slowly reaches out for the sick of fluffy cotton candy, and accepts it. Before she starts to enjoy it, she says, "Fine, since you went to the trouble of buying it, I'll accept it this time. But if I gain weight, I'll hold you responsible." She then takes the first bite of the fluffy sweet. Once again, her eyes glow like crystals under the moonlight, and loses control of herself. Mark just can't help but smile at how happy Lanna looks as she is enjoying the cotton candy.

As the festival continues, Lanna continues to visit different stalls to try out other sweets she had missed for years. Some of her favorites are shaved ice, funnel cakes, ice cream, moon cakes, and various other sweets. Lanna has also visited other stalls to play some mini games. Mark also plays some games to win Lanna a cute prize. After playing several games, he is able to win Lanna a cute stuffed animal.

Later that night, mark and Lanna are sitting on top of a large boulder that is in the sands of the beach. At this time, Lanna is finishing a candy apple that they had just bought. While they were enjoying the festival, Lanna had completely forgot about any worries of reporters, fans, or possible strangers watching her from a distance.

"Did you have fun?" asked Mark just after Lanna finishes her candy apple.

She then wipes her face with a moist towelette, and says, "Yes, I admit I had fun. As a pop idol, it can get hard to enjoy a festival when you have fans chasing you everywhere. This is the first time in years that I was able to enjoy a festival in peace."

"Well, everyone is just used to seeing you around. There is no point in bothering you now if they can do it anytime." said Mark.

"What's that supposed to mean?! Are you saying that I am not special anymore?!" snapped Lanna.

Mark sweats nervously , and says, "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that you have become a part of this island. Everyone here knows you, and. . ." Mark then sighs and continues, "I guess I'm not making any sense, right?"

Lanna then looks up at the sparkling stars, and says, "I think I know what you mean. When I first arrived in the island, so many people started to crowd around me just begging for an autograph. After two years, it doesn't happen anymore, but I still have so many fans on this island. But after I'm done with my second alum, things will get crazy once again. I should relax, and enjoy the peace while it lasts."

Mark then nods. Seeing that Lanna has been enjoying the festival rather than worrying about fans makes him feel happy. He then takes a moment to think back a moment. For a while, he has wished to go on a single date with Lanna. His reasons are not because she's a famous pop idol, he has a more special reason why. For a long time, even before he has met her in person, he has always felt thankful to her. Now that they are alone at the beach, he feels that it may be a good time to tell her.

"Look! The fireworks are starting!" yelled Lanna. Mark then looks up, and watches the many different fireworks shoot up into the air. Blue, green, red, white, all different beautiful colors in many different patterns light the dark sky. They both are completely breath taken by the beauty of the fireworks.

The fireworks lasts for a full half hour. Afterwards, the festival ends, and Mark has to bring Lanna home. On the way home, they both discuss how wonderful the fireworks look over the beach. Lanna almost feels ashamed that she missed out on the earlier fireworks show on the island. But she will do her best not to miss anymore.

Their conversation cuts short as soon as Lanna arrives home. She turns around, waves goodbye saying, "I had a wonderful time tonight Mark."

"I'm glad you did. . . Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." replied Mark.

At that point, they part ways. Mark goes home back at the farm. But as he leaves, he realizes that he completely forgot about telling her what he wanted to say. But he feels that there will be another chance to tell her, so he goes home.

Meanwhile, Lanna stands in front of her door watching Mark vanish into the night. As soon as he is out of sight, she places a hand on her chin, and says, "You know, Mark is a really nice guy. He's kind, and sweet. If only I wasn't a pop idol, I wonder if we could. . ."

Without finishing her thought, she opens her door and goes home to rest for the evening. But as soon as she enters her home, she gasps learning that she is not alone. She finds three middle aged men sitting inside her home. A man in his late thirties in a business suit smoking a cigar, and two bodyguards.

"Hello Lanna, it's been a while hasn't it?" said the man in the business suit.

"Good evening. . . Manager." Lanna said nervously as she bows respectfully.

The manager points at an empty seat nearby and says, "Sit down, we need to talk." Lanna then nervously takes a seat across from where her manager is sitting. For a minute, things remain silent. She wants to offer him some tea or something, but she is too nervous about what he is going to say.

"That was a pretty nice boy you were with tonight." said the manager.

"You were following me?" asked Lanna.

The manager takes a puff of his cigar, and says, "I came here earlier, but the house was empty. I asked a local where would I find you, so he directed me to the beach. I didn't want to interrupt your little date, so I waited for you here."

Lanna trembles. She knows that there is only one reason why her manager would want to visit her in the island. The manager then puts out his cigar, and says, "Well, since you have the time to go out, lets get to the point. You know why I am here, do you?"

Lanna nods and responds nervously, "Yes sir. . . You want the lyrics to my next album. . ."

He then opens his hands in front of her and says, "Well, lets have them. It's been 2 years already, that's more than enough time to finish."

Lanna's heart begins to beat rapidly, this time she is terrified beyond reason. She has been working hard for 2 years, but she has not completed a single song yet. Breaking the news to him will be tough for her, but giving him no answer will only upset him. So she swallows her fear, and says, "I'm sorry manager. . . But I'm not done yet. . . I still need some more time. . ."

Her manager frowns, which makes her feel even more worried than before. He then stands up, and walks to the nearest window looking out into the dark night sky. He finally takes a deep breath, and says, "Lanna, I'm trying to be fair with you. I let you live on this island because I sympathize with you about what happened. But I thought you had gotten over it already, and is ready to work."

"I'm sorry. . . I'll try harder, I promise." said Lanna.

Her manager then looks at her, and says in a stern serious tone, "Do you have any idea what's going on outside this island? The next pop idol is rising, and people are starting to forget about you. The record companies are laughing at me, because I am too soft on my employees. You know how much I hate being laughed at, right?"

Lana nods, but says nothing. She feels that if she dares say anything, she'll only make him more upset than he already is. Her manager then looks out the window once again, and says in a more milder tone, "I'm afraid I have no other choice but to give you a deadline. I'm going to leave you here, and be back in one week. Have the lyrics done by then, or you can consider this island your permanent residence."

"What? One week?" asked Lanna in a worried tone. "But that won't be enough time. Please manager, can't you give me at least another month?"

Lanna quickly silences herself as soon as the manager pulls a very familiar piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "I'm sure you know what this is, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes. . . It's my contract." answered Lanna.

The manager then tears the top of the contract slightly, causing Lanna to scream with panic. "Oops, my hand must have slipped." said the manager in a sarcastic tone. He then continues to tear the contract little by little causing Lanna to panic just a bit more with every tiny rip. "You know what will make my hand stop slipping, am I right?"

"Okay! I'll have the work done in a week!" yelled Lanna. Upon hearing that, her manager stops tearing the contract, and returns it to his jacket pocket. With that decided, he leaves with his men saying, "Remember, one week. I know you won't let me down. I have faith in you."

The door closes, and Lanna falls on her knees. She then looks at her desk with nothing but rejected ideas and crumpled paper. She has no idea how is she going to complete her lyrics in one week. After two years, she has nothing done. But rather than doing nothing, she quickly goes to her desk, and starts working. She can only hope for the best after a week.

**To be continued.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Lanna's Story_

Immediately after Lanna's Manager leaves her house, she jumps right on her desk, and begins to work. However, the panic that she is going through only disrupts her concentration. Coming up with at least a dozen songs in only seven days is practically impossible for any normal person, but for the sake of her job, she will try.

It was already late when Lanna came home, but she does not stop to sleep. She plans to work around the clock until the work is done. However, even though she tries her best to get something done, the same results come out. She writes a few lines, then she throws it away. One moment, she tells herself that she should not worry about creativity, and just turn in any nonsense. But then again, she tells herself that she cannot turn in any slop to her Manager.

Morning arrives, and Lanna continues to work recklessly. She starts to feel sleepy, but she needs to continue working or else she will not be done in time. But after so many hours, the amount of crumpled paper only increases, and not even a single song has yet to be made. She drinks coffee to stay awake, she hates the taste of it, but she doesn't have a choice.

Hours continue to pass, and Lanna continues to work. Her handwriting is getting sloppier by the minute, and her vision is getting blurry. Stress and worry is taking it's toll, as well as the fact that Lanna has yet to sleep. She looks over at the clock, and sees that it's 10:00 am. She feels dizzy, but she needs to keep working. She only has six and a half more days to go.

At around 1:00 pm, Lanna finally collapses on her desk and falls asleep. She has horrible nightmares of millions of people laughing at her because she could not complete her work in the two years she had been living on the island. She begs to her millions of fans that it was not her fault. She tried her best, but it wasn't enough.

In the dream, she sees Mark and Chelsea together. They both laugh at her failure and walk away holding hands. They both call her horrible names like "Failure" and "Loser". She collapses on her knees, and cries. She cannot stop the laughter echoing in the dark abyss of her nightmare.

She suddenly wakes up upon hearing some knocking at her front door. She looks at the time, and it's 2:30 pm. She didn't get much rest, and the sudden awakening makes her feel ill. She gets up to answer the door, but she stumbles a few times on the way. She's weak and dizzy, walking is difficult for her, but she at least manages to get to the door.

She finds Mark in the other side of the door. As soon as she answers it, Mark begins to say, "Hey Lanna, I tried to find you in your usual spot, but- OH MY GOD!!! ARE YOU OKAY!?!?!?"

Mark panics as soon as he sees Lanna's condition. She has the most hoarse face anyone could ever see. Her skin is as pale as a ghost, her hair is messed up, clothes dirty from sweat and coffee stains, she's leaning on the door so she could stand, eyes half closed struggling to stay awake. Never in the two years that Mark has known her has he seen her in such a condition.

"Lanna. . . What happened?" asked Mark.

Lanna yawns and replies, "Nothing . . . I'm perfectly fine. . . Now will you excuse me, I have to get back tooooo. . ." Before she finishes her sentence, Lanna collapses. Mark is able to catch her before she hits the ground. He yells her name several times, but she does not wake up.

Later that night, Lanna wakes up with a Jerk. She is on her bed in her bedroom. She looks at the time, and sees that it's 9:00 pm, about six hours after she collapsed. She does feel refreshed after waking up, but she is starving. She then remembers that she has so much work to do, but she wasted so much time resting that she does not think she could make it in time. There are only six days left until the deadline, and Lanna still has not even a single song done.

She panics as soon as she hears that she is not alone in the house. But she calms herself when she smells the familiar scent of Mark's cooking. She climbs out of bed, and walks over to her kitchen to find Mark cooking. Like always, he is cooking a dish that involves fish. She has never seen him actually cook before, so this is something new and interesting to watch.

It doesn't take Mark too long before he notices that Lanna is awake, and watching him from behind. He then turns around and says, "Are you feeling okay Lanna?" She nods, but says nothing. Mark then continues, "You still look a little pale. Why don't you lie down, and I'll bring you something to eat. Dinner is almost ready."

Lanna nods, and goes back to her room. In about 5 minutes, Mark brings her a bowl of rice, and some sushi on the side. After thanking Mark, she begins to eat. She never had Mark's sushi before, but it tastes incredibly good. She wasn't sure if it was because she was incredibly hungry, or it was just plain delicious.

Mark takes a good look at her bedroom while she eats. He is surprised to find so many different interesting objects, such as posters of her first album debut, awards she won, CD's of her favorite singers and groups, photos hanging on the wall of some of her friends she made while on tour. There are also other things she has like stuffed bears, pictures of family, a diary, and the other things a girl would normally have in her room.

Outside her bedroom, she also have a room dedicated to a collection of fishing gear. He always knew that she loved fish, but not this much. She has many rods on display, photos that she took while visiting aquarium around the world, a fish tank with some tropical colorful fish she keep as pets, and much more. He has learned so much being in her house for the first time.

"You have a lot of neat stuff here." commented Mark.

Lanna stops eating for a moment to say, "Don't stare at my stuff so much. It's embarrassing."

Mark nods, and Lanna continues to eat. After she's done, Mark takes the empty dishes, and says, "Care to tell me what happened?" She looks forward, but stays quiet. Mark can easily see a look of sadness in her face. He knows that something happened, but he's not going to pressure it out of her. So he smiles and says, "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I'll just out this in the kitchen, and go home. I hope you'll feel better tomorrow."

As soon as Mark turns around, Lanna says, "Wait." Mark faces Lanna once again, and waits for her to say something. It takes her a couple of minutes before she says, "You think we could meet up at the beach tomorrow?"

"Sure, I guess. But why?"

Lanna shakes her head no, and says, "Meet me there at noon. On the rock that we sat on when we watch the fireworks. Please be there."

Mark nods, then goes to the kitchen to leave the dishes on the sink. He then says his goodbyes, and goes back to the farm. Lanna stays awake for a bit longer, but goes back to sleep in a few hours. At this point, she feels like giving up. There is no way that she could finish at this point.

The next day, Mark heads to the beach at Noon like Lanna asked. Just as she said she would, She's sitting on the great big boulder that is halfway in the sand. Nobody knows how that giant piece of rock got there, but nobody cared to find out either. He nods, and walks up to her. Even though Lanna hears him coming, her mind is too preoccupied to look in his direction. Her cheeks are resting on her hands as she thinks about the inevitable doom of her career.

"Hey there. I'm here." said Mark. Even though he announced that he has arrived, Lanna does not move even a single muscle. She just continues to look at the crashing waves of the beach.

Mark then climbs the rock, and sits beside her. There is a long pause, Mark wants to say something, but he just remains quiet. There has to be a reason why Lanna asked him to meet her at the beach, so he waits patiently until she says something, anything.

"Talk to me Mark." said Lanna breaking the silence.

Mark scratches his head, and says, "Well, what do you want me to talk about?"

"I don't care. Just say anything. I just want you to keep mind busy, that's all."

Mark does not understand why Lanna wants him to just talk. He just sits there, and tries his hardest to come up with something interesting to talk about. It's not easy for him to just come up with something on the spot. He keeps asking himself, "What do Pop Idols like to talk about?" It's not like he knows a collection of people like her to know what to say. But he does know that Lanna likes fishes.

Finally, he nods and begins his pointless speech, "Well, this morning I caught the biggest fish I have ever seen. Wow, was it a big one. At first, I thought I would catch the usual small fish. Nothing would prepare me for the fight of my life. I casted the line like I usually do, then after a half hour of waiting, I get a bite. Wow, the fish was powerful!

I tugged, and let the line go over and over. I just wanted to tire out that bad boy so I can reel it in. I thought I was going to lose it time after time, but I had it under control. After fighting with it for about ten minutes, I could feel it getting weaker. So I reeled it in. I had to be careful in case it had some extra energy to bite through the hook. So I reeled it in carefully, and it landed! Wow, it was bigger than I thought! A great big Bonito, about 70 cm long! Now, I know that's not that big, but it was a personal record. And-"

Mark stops talking as soon as he hears Lanna sniffling. He looks over to her, and finds her crying, trying her best to wipe the tears as they come. Mark starts to feel bad, he was so preoccupied by his one person conversation, that he didn't notice Lanna cry until now.

So he takes a deep breath and says, "Lanna, what's the matter? You're not usually this way. If there is anything I could do to help you, just tell me."

Lanna moves her hands away from her face and finally admits, "Mark. . . I'm going to lose my job."

The news shocks him. "But why? What happened?" asked Mark.

Lanna lets out a last sniffle before saying, "You see, my boss came to the island. He came for my lyrics, but I was not done yet. To be honest, I haven't gotten a thing done since I came here."

"You haven't? But you've been so busy all the time. What happened to all that work you put this whole time?"

Lanna shakes her head no and continues, "I tried. But no matter how much time I spend here, I came up with nothing. Just failed ideas over and over. I have five more days left, and I need to write a whole album. There is no way that I can do that much work in so little time. I'm a failure."

After telling Mark what happened, she looks down at her boots sadly. Mark wants to say something like, "You can do it!" or "I believe in you!" or something encouraging. But he knows that encouragement is not what she needs. Even if he makes her feel better, it will only hurt her more once her time is up. What she needs is help, but Mark has no idea how. Mark is not a writer, or a poet, or a music producer. He is just a simple farmer with no other talents.

But just sitting there is not going to help her either. He needs something that could help her. So he thinks for a moment, and asks, "Lanna, what inspired you to write the first album?"

Lanna picks her head up, and looks at Mark. She found what he said quite interesting. Mark then looks up at the sky and continues, "Songs are like poems in a way, but a bit more fun to listen to. In order for you to write a poem, you need some inspiration, am I right? I'm sure that you had something that you wanted to sing about. Do you remember what it was?"

Lanna then decides to look up in the sky. She does remember what was her inspiration the first time around. But at the same time, it's not something she wants to remember. She came to the island to forget about what happened in her past. But it seems to her that her past may be her only clue as to how to get back the inspiration that she needs.

"You see. . . When I wrote the first album, I was in love."

"Oh, I see. I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Figures, the album was mostly love songs anyway."

Even though Mark was disappointed for a moment, Lanna shakes her head no and says, "Don't misunderstand me. We're not together anymore."

"Go on." said Mark full of interest.

Lanna sighs and closes her eyes trying to remember those days when she was blissfully in love. "IT all started back in high school. I was dating this guy who was pretty popular in school. We were inseparable for a while. He was tall, dark, handsome. I was just any ordinary girl in school, but he loved my singing voice. One day, I wanted to show how much I loved him by singing in the drama club.

We put on a musical play on my senior year. I wrote the song that I would sing telling everyone how I felt. The play was a big success. That day, I met my manager. He discovered my talent, then offered me a contract as a Pop Idol singer. It was a hard choice to make, going on tour, visiting so many different places, meeting so many different people. At first, I didn't want to take the job, but my boyfriend told me that I should take the offer.

And so, I became a Pop Idol. I wrote my lyrics so that I could show the whole world how much I loved the guy back in my hometown. I took a bunch of dancing and acting lessons, wrote the first set of lyrics, and even wrote the music to go along with it. In a short time, I was a big success.

My CD's were selling like hot cakes. I got so many offers to do concerts and promotions. I was offered to play in a movie, but I turned that down. I did a few interviews, visited many places, signed autographs for fans. It just never stopped for a while. One task after another, but I did it for the one I loved.

After a year and a half, I was finally given some time off. I went back to my hometown to see my boyfriend. But I only came to find out that he had already gotten married to someone else. They even had a kid together. When I asked him why, he told me that I didn't have any time for him anymore. So he moved on, and found someone else.

I was crushed. Becoming a Pop Idol was his idea, but he didn't wait for me. Since then, I couldn't write anymore. My manager started asking me for a second album, but I couldn't do it. I was too hurt to even think about anything. So my manager arranged for me to write my lyrics somewhere where I can get over my broken heart. So I came to this island so I can have a chance to get away from everything, and write my second album. But even after I got over my boyfriend, I still couldn't write anything. Two years I spent trying, but I still can't do it."

Mark sighs and says, "I didn't know you were going through all that. It must have been rough on you. I'm sorry. . ."

Lanna then looks away and says, "What are you apologizing for? After all, it was me who was being stupid. I mean, who would wait for me anyway. I'm sure any guy would do the same thing."

"That's not true." answered Mark. Lanna then turns to Mark shocked by what he said. "I think that guy was just being stupid, not you. I mean, you are a very gifted and talented girl. Your very cute too. Only an idiot would not wait for you. You may have your moments, but your sweet, spirited, and dedicated to what you love the most." He then looks at Lanna deep in her eyes and says, "If I was your boyfriend, I'd wait for you, even if I spend the rest of my life waiting."

Lanna's face turns as red as a tomato. She then turns away trying to hide her embarrassed face saying, "Mark. . . You shouldn't say things like that. . . I mean. . . It almost sounds like you are making a promise to me. . . I'm sure that you never waited for a girl before. . . So you don't know if you can do that. . ."

Mark scratches his head, and giggles while saying, "I guess you're right, I have never waited for anyone before. But even so, I still think that I would wait for someone that I loved. I just can't see myself finding someone new, knowing that someone I love is going to come back to me."

Finally, Lanna looks out to the ocean one more time. Remembering the times she had spent with Mark the last 2 years makes her blush. The entire two years she had known him, she didn't want to tell herself that she was starting to like him. But after Chelsea came into their lives, her emotions just blew over. Mark is important to her, she just needs to admit that to herself.

"Mark, thank you. I feel so much better now that I got to talk to you. You really are a good friend."

"It's okay. I'm just glad that you're feeling better. I just hope that everything works out in the end. Maybe if you talk to your manager one more time, I'm sure he'll reason with you."

Lanna nods, and says, "You know Mark. I think you deserve a reward."

Mark shakes his head no and answers, "No, I couldn't possibly accept any money."

Lanna frowns and crosses her arms yelling, "No, that's not what I meant! Honestly, are you an idiot or something?"

Mark then sighs and says, "Sorry, I guess I didn't understand what you meant by 'reward'."

Lanna then blushes a deep shade of pink in her cheeks and begins to fidget with her fingers. In a nervous tone, she says, "When I said reward, I mean that you could. . . . Kiss me."

Mark nearly falls off the rock as soon as he hears that. It was something he was never expected her to say. He trembles nervously as he asks, "Did you say kiss? Are you feeling okay? I mean, I never expected that so suddenly."

Lanna then looks away again and says, "Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. I thought it would make you happy, but I guess I'm wrong!"

As she is looking away, Lanna suddenly feels Mark's hand touch hers. She looks back and sees that Mark has moved in closer to her. She can feel her heart pound, like if he's striking it with a hammer. It's a pleasant feeling, proof that she has indeed fallen for him. She closes her eyes, and waits for his lips to meet hers.

She has felt this feeling once before. After she had lost her first love, she thought that she would never be able to love again. She tried her best to close it off, and see everyone as just a simple fan. Even though she won't say it just yet, she does love him. She is tired of hiding it. So from now on, she will listen to the song her heart is trying to sing to her all this time.

To be continued.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Lanna's Decision**

Later that evening, Lanna sits at her desk and tries again. She knows that her deadline is coming in only 5 more days, she knows how impossible the task may seem. But she is willing to try it out one more time. If she does a good enough job on the songs she can finish, she feels that she could at least convince her manager to give her just a little bit more time.

She takes a deep breath as she sits in front of the blank sheet of paper. She then takes out a pencil from her cup, and thinks for a moment. At first, her mind is blank. Trying to force the ideas out doesn't seem to work. So she rests her back on the chair, and leans back a bit. With her pencil in her ear, she closes her eyes, and faces the ceiling for a while.

She knows she needs to relax. All she needs to do is let the ideas flow in her head, just like she did last time. She takes a couple of deep breaths, and relaxes her mind. After a couple of minutes, she begins to think about the kiss she shared with Mark only a few hours ago. She smiles happily as she remembers how warm and soft Mark's lips felt against hers.

Her heart begins to beat a bit louder. As she touches her lips with her fingers, she begins to hear something. It was not a voice in the distance, or a sound coming from outside. It is her heart trying to sing to her. A beautiful melody that only she can hear and understand. She had this feeling once before, all she needs to do is put them into words.

Taking the pencil out of her ear, Lanna presses the lead against the paper. At first, her hands do nothing. But after a few minutes, she begins to write some words down. After writing her first line, she gasps cheerfully seeing that she has written the first idea she is satisfied with. After taking a deep breath, she continues to listen to her heart some more. Word after word, ideas continue to flow from her heart into paper.

It takes her several hours to finally finish the first poem that her heart was trying to sing. After reviewing her poem, she realizes that it had a lot to do with her first kiss with Mark. How it felt, how it untied the knot she herself placed on her heart, and how sweet it felt.

After making some random corrections, she takes a look outside, and realizes that it's getting dark. If she is going to do her best, she'll need some rest for the next day. So she places her pencil back into the cup, staples the pages together, and places them into a large envelope. She then changes into her nightgown, and drifts off into a peaceful sleep.

That night, Lanna has many wonderful romantic dreams. She cannot remember the last time she had one of those. One of her favorite dreams that she had was about how she was trapped in a castle, and a handsome blond haired prince came to rescue her.

She remembers that dream well after she wakes up. After getting ready for the day, she begins writing a story about that dream. After the story is done, she decides to write a song about that story. Before noon came around, Lanna already had a second song for her album.

Lanna continues to write songs as the days passes. One idea after another inspire Lanna to write something different. Her heart had a lot to say to her. There are about 2 years worth of memories that her heart could sing about. Her deadline is quickly approaching, so she works hard all day, and rests when she needs to. Mark continues to deliver lunch for her at 2:00 pm every day. But rather than looking for her in the east side of the island, Mark just delivers it straight to her house.

It is now the evening of the fifth day after Lanna's manager has left the island. Lanna is in the middle of writing a song that has a lot to do with Mark's cooking. A fun, upbeat song that tells how delicious his cooking really is, how important it is to her daily life. She gets done at about 10:00 pm, she was so preoccupied by the song that she did not realize how late it is.

She then takes a look at the calendar, and sees that she has only one more day until her manager comes to check on her work. She sighs, then takes a look at her envelope to see what she has done so far. She was having so much fun, she did not keep track of how many songs did she write after she had completed the first one.

After counting her songs, she gasps after realizing that she wrote a dozen songs. She cannot believe that she has met her quota before her deadline. She thought that she wouldn't make it in time. But after so many days of hard work and listening to her heart, she did what was believed to be impossible.

Lanna starts to celebrate her victory by dancing around her room joyfully. After giggling and jumping for a few minutes, she then stops for a moment to shout, "I did it! I actually finished! And I even have a day all to myself tomorrow! I can't wait till I show the manager! When he sees this, I'll be able to get off this island and-"

Just then, Lanna realizes something. If she shows her manager that she has done her work, she'll have to leave the island, and continue to be a Pop Idol. She will work long hard hours recording the songs, then go on tour, sing in concerts, and travel the world. But then, she'll be leaving Mark behind.

Lanna falls to her knees, and sigh sadly. For the last 2 years, she had been wanting to get off the island, and continue doing what she does best. But after realizing that there is someone important to her in the island, she suddenly finds herself not wanting to leave.

The next morning, Mark wakes up and gets ready for another day in the farm. After leaving his house, he yawns and wipes the sand from his eyes. It's a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, and not too hot either. Summer will be ending soon, so it has gotten a little bit cooler.

Before he goes over to work on his animals, he notices that there's something sticking out of his mailbox. He walks over to the mailbox, and finds a letter inside. The letter reads:

_Please meet me at the beach. By the rock where we sat on a couple of days ago. I need to talk to you about something. Please bring your fishing gear. I'll wait for you there at noon. Don't be late._

_-Lanna_

After reading the letter, Mark scratches his head and wonders if Lanna is okay. Last time, Lanna was in trouble. But this time, she wants him to bring his fishing gear. He has no idea what to think. But rather than asking himself a hundred questions, he continues on to his job. He then heads over to the beach at noon with his gear.

Just as the letter says, he finds Lanna at the beach sitting on the rock. There is a bit of sadness in her eyes as she stares off into the ocean. Once again, he starts to ask himself the same questions as before. "Is something wrong? Did the deadline pass, and Lanna didn't finish in time? Does she need my help? Will I be able to help her?"

Just talking to himself in his mind is not going to help her. So he slowly approaches Lanna and says, "Hi Lanna. I'm here."

Lanna then looks over towards Mark. She then smiles and says, "Hi Mark. I'm glad you could make it."

She then jumps off the rock, and grabs her own fishing rear that lays beside the rock. As she is putting the rod together, Mark says in a surprised tone, "Lanna, you know how to fish?"

"Of course I do dummy. I thought that was obvious when you saw my collection f fishing poles." said Lanna is a joking manner.

Mark giggles lightly and says, "Sorry. I sort of assumed that you just collected them. I had no idea that you knew how to use them."

Lanna then sighs and replies, "Honestly Mark. You say that you like me, but you don't know a thing about me. Don't you read a magazine? My profile is on there. Most of my fans know me better than you do!"

"Sorry. . ." answered Mark.

"Aren't you going to fish too?" asked Lanna as soon as she notices that Mark hasn't started assembling his fishing rod.

Mark nods, and pulls out his rod from his rucksack. The rod comes apart so it can fit in his rucksack, so it takes him a bit longer for him to assemble it. Afterwards, he sets up his line, lure, sinker, and bait. Finally, they climb on top of the rock, and casted their lines out to the ocean hoping for a bite.

Things stay quiet for a few minutes. Mark didn't know what to think or say. Lanna asked him to come over to chat, but all she does it sit next to him, and fish quietly. But now that they've started fishing, Lanna appears more cheerful. Since she seems okay, he just sits next to her, and fish quietly.

"I finished my lyrics yesterday." said Lanna breaking the silence. "Tomorrow, I show my manager my finished work."

"Oh, congratulations." answered Mark. "You must be really excited. I guess you won't lose your job after all. You'll make another CD, tour the world, and-"

"Do you want me to leave?!" yelled Lanna in an annoyed tone.

Mark nearly drops his pole out of shock after hearing that. her smile has turned into a frown on only a matter of a split second. "Well, no. . . But. . . I thought that this is what you wanted." he answered.

Lanna sighs, and looks down sadly. After playing with her feet for a moment she says, "Well, I thought I did. I mean, that's what I came here to do. But I've really learned to like it here. This is kinda like my home now. And there's a lot of things that I still would like to do here. Do I really want to leave it all behind?"

"So does that mean that if you go, you are not going to come back?" asked Mark.

Lanna shakes her head, and responds, "I will come back. But I will be away for about a year, maybe even longer this time. I'm afraid that if I do go, I'll miss something. Or I may lose something important. I really don't know if it's worth going through that again."

"So then why don't you just stay here?"

"I don't know. . . I guess that it won't be fair to my fans. I mean they are waiting for my next album. I feel that they deserve it after 2 years of waiting. I can't just drop my career after I worked so hard to keep it."

"I guess that is a tough choice to make. But what made you like this place so much anyway?"

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" snapped Lanna. She then smiles and continues, "But I guess that's just the way you are. Your not that bright, you're gullible, and you don't know when to give up. But you're still a good person."

"I can't tell if that was a compliment or an insult." said Mark sheepishly.

Lanna giggled. She then thought for a minute, and says, "You know, It wasn't really my idea to become a pop idol anyway, that sort of came as a surprise. I have other dreams that I want to accomplish someday."

"Well, what else do you want to do?" asked Mark.

Lanna blushes while looking out towards the ocean and says, "Well, I've always wanted to be a bride."

Mark nearly drops his rod into the ocean out of shock again. Hearing her say something like that out of the blue left him speechless, it was the last thing he expected her to say. All he can say in response is, "A br. . .Br. . .Bride?"

Lanna nods softly and says, "In a way, that's kind of like every girl's dream. To find a nice guy who they can get along great with, get married, have a little boy or girl. I guess because of my career, I haven't really thought about it too much. I was always busy, or tired, or sad, sometimes mad. But I still would like to do that once I retire from singing."

"I see. Well, I hope all of your dreams come true someday."

Lanna then looks over towards Mark without moving her head to the side. She then looks away and asks, "Say Mark, can I ask you something personal?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you cook for me everyday? Is it because I'm a pop idol? Is it because you really like me?"

Mark looks out deep towards the ocean before saying, "It's because I'm grateful to you."

Lanna then looks at Mark, and asks curiously, "Grateful? What do you mean? I don't remember doing anything that deserves your gratitude."

Mark smiles sheepishly while scratching the back of his head saying, "It's a really long story. It's kind of embarrassing, so. . ."

Lanna nudges Mark and says, "Come on, tell me! You can't just start there, and keep quiet. I told you my story earlier, I want to hear your whole story too."

"Well, if you insist then." said Mark. He then lets out a huge sigh before starting his story, "You see, it all started when I graduated high school. My parents wanted me to go to college so I can become someone with a business suit and tie. But that's not what I wanted to do. I wanted to be free, and find my own purpose in life. So right after Winter, I purchased a ticket to board a ship, and decided to travel on my own. I knew that I would find my calling out there, so I just let fate decide my future.

But fate was not very kind those days. That night, I found myself in a really bad thunderstorm. The ocean waves were rough, the rain was freezing cold, and the thunder roared loud. I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

Everyone got out in life boats, but I wasn't so lucky. When the storm hit, I was sleeping in my bed, and I didn't get out in time. I tried to get in a life boat, but the wind was too strong, and the deck was slippery. So instead, I fell off the ship and, nearly drowned to death. Luckily, I survived the storm, and ended up in the shores Sunny Island.

Even though I survived, things were not that easy for me. A family of redheads also ended up in Sunny Island, and we all decided to stay on it. I was chosen to work as a farmer all by myself in an abandoned ranch. An old man taught me how to do the work, but it didn't make anything easier.

Soon enough, we got a merchant who can sell seeds, and the family of redheads became shippers. Several days later, animal merchants settled in the island. I had a lot of work within just a week of landing on the island. The worst part of the job was trying to find some food. Without any food stores, I was reduced to eating some wild grass and herbs, sometimes I could scrape off some seaweed to eat. I got sick a lot, and sometimes went for days without eating.

I wasn't used to the work load, there was nothing to eat except some crops I was lucky enough to grow, and sometimes the weather of the island was not on my side. Summer came around, and I wanted to give up. I thought about going back home, and go to college like my parents wanted. Things were too hard for me to handle alone, and the other villagers were telling me that I wasn't trying hard enough.

All that changed after the carpenter came to live on the island. He was able to clear out a large boulder that blocked the east side of the island. There we found a few abandoned buildings. I was so desperate for something to eat, so I went ahead and raided the abandoned homes hoping for something. Even though the abandoned homes didn't have anything to eat, one of them had an old TV. Even though it was old, it still was in good condition. There wasn't anything fun to do in the island, so I brought the TV home, and tried it out.

The TV worked, but it was a nightmare getting a signal in the island. I played with the rabbit ears for a few hours, slapped the TV hoping to get any working channels. I didn't have anything better to do, so I just keep trying until I got something. That afternoon, I was able to pick up the closest signal. By some stroke of luck, I picked up a concert on TV. It was your concert.

I wasn't a big music fan back in those days, but I still sat down and watched it.

Within minutes, I was quite impressed. Your voice was amazing, your moves were great, and your lyrics were nothing less than incredible. I just sat there in my home watching you in stage, I became an instant fan.

After the concert, you had this interview with the fans. You were overwhelmed with questions and comments, but you answered them all as best as you can. One of the questions someone asked you was, 'Isn't working as a pop idol at such a young age hard for you?'

And you answered, ' It is hard to deal with. The rehearsals, the classes, I hardly have any time for myself. But seeing so many fans who love my music makes everything well worth the effort. I love what I do, and I will continue to work hard at it.'

I'll never forget those words. We were both about the same age, and we are doing jobs that are hard for the both of us. But you stuck with it, and made so many people happy. I, on the other hand, wanted to run away and go back home. So after the interview was over, I decided to try again. Some people are depending on me to do my best, and you inspired me to be strong for them.

Not so long after that, the old man who taught me how to farm found a fishing pole. He gave it to me, hoping I could ship some fish in my free time. Getting used to that fishing pole was hard, but rather than starving to death, I got used to it as quickly as I can. I shipped some fish, and saved some for myself. At night, I light a bonfire, and cooked roasted fish on a stick. I learned to really like fish a lot, which solved my food problem.

After I made some money, I ordered your first album, along with something to play it. When I had nothing better to do, or when I'm fishing, I would play your CD. It really made living in the island enjoyable, and I learned to like my job as a farmer. Little by little, the island started getting popular, and many residents came to live here. Luke opened up his diner, and taught me how to cook all types of food.

About a year later, my farm completely changed. I had a barn and a coop built, and I raised animals. I grew rice in the paddies in the back, and mined in the caves in the Winter. I remodeled my house, and had a brand new kitchen installed. I became quite a talented cook, and made a lot of friends. All this happened because you inspired me to do my best.

I was so grateful to you, that I started to wish that we could meet someday so I could tell you how grateful I am. However, one day while I was cooking a new dish, one of the kids in the island bursted into my house, and told me that a celebrity was moving into the island. I became curious, so I followed him to the beach where a helicopter has landed. Everyone in the island was there, so I became really interested who is coming to live here.

Then you walked out of the helicopter that day. I was so stunned, that I could hardly move. It was you, THE Lanna Songstress who decided to live in Sunny Island to write her next album. Everyone was excited to meet you in person, they just crowded around you, and you just smiled for everyone and greeted yourself warmly.

And that's when I decided that I was going to thank you someday. I found out from a few of your fans that you liked fish and sweets a lot. So I asked Luke to teach me how to make the best fish meal he knows, and used it to try to get to know you. I wanted to go on a single date with you so I can tell you how grateful I am. But after 2 years, I had no success. But I didn't want to give up, so I kept trying.

I guess I never told you earlier when I had the chance because things got in the way. When we ate lunch together in the diner, the date was too short for me to say anything. And the fireworks distracted us at the Fireworks Festival. Then last time we were here, you were too upset, I didn't feel as if it was the perfect time to say it."

After Mark's story was done, he laughs a bit and continues, "Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long telling my story. What I'm trying to say is, thank you so much for everything. I would most likely be doing something I didn't want to do if I haven't seen you in your concert that day. And I am happy that I had this chance to be friends with you, and tell you how you changed my life."

"It sounds like destiny to me." replied Lanna catching Mark's attention. She the looks at Mark with a smile on her face and says, "After all, we sort of inspired each other to do our best. You know. . . I bet I can make a song out of that."

Lanna then starts writing a new song in her head about destiny. Mark just laughs sheepishly again, and says, "You don't have to come up with a new song. I thought you had enough already?"

"It's fine, after all, there is no harm in writing an extra song or two. I think my Manager would appreciate it anyway." answered Lanna.

Suddenly, Lanna's fishing line caught a bite. The fish on the other end pulled hard, but Lanna was able to get in control of the rod before it got away. By the way the rod is bending, they both can clearly see that the line has caught a very large fish. Mark drops his rod and runs to Lanna's aid yelling, "Lanna, that fish is huge! Let me reel it in for you!"

"No thanks!" yelled Lanna struggling with the fish. "I never caught a fish this big, but I think I can handle it!"

Mark worries that something might happen. Like Lanna could slip on the rock that they are standing on and get hurt. But he looks into her eyes, and she is determined to reel the fish in on her own. So instead, he just cheers for her, and stays close in case something happens. Lanna may be a famous pop idol singer, but at least she has enough strength and skill to handle the massive fish on the end of the line.

After several minutes of fighting with the fish, it finally grows tired. Lanna is able to reel it in slowly so that it doesn't escape. Little by little, the fish's shadow could be seen. As soon as it gets close to shore, Lanna gives it one last pull, ripping it out of the sea, and into the sandy beach.

Mark and Lanna stand between the fish, and stare in amazement. "Wow, that fish is huge!" yelled Mark. "That has to be the biggest Tuna that I have ever seen. It's way over a meter long, almost two!"

Lanna nods proudly and says, "See, told you I could do it. I may not look it, but I am a pretty good fisher."

Afterwards, Lanna picks up the tuna, and places it in Mark's arms. "Is this for me?" asked Mark.

"Of course not!" yelled Lanna. "Your going to cook it for me. I'm going to be really busy, so I'm counting on you to make a really tasty lunch tomorrow."

"Okay." responded Mark struggling with the fish flailing around in his arms.

As Mark tries to keep the fish under control, Lanna remains quiet for a minute. She then looks down and whispers, "Will you really wait for me?"

"Did you say something?" asked Mark.

Lanna shakes her head no, and says, "Not really. But thanks to you, I got my answer that I needed."

"So, are you going to stay, or are you going to go?" asked Mark.

Lanna then places a finger on her lips and says, "It's a secret." And with that, Lanna goes on, and walks back home to be prepared to meet her manager tomorrow. At first, she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave Sunny Island or not. But after hearing Mark's story, and what he had to say to her, she is now sure that she knows which path is the best one. She only hopes that things turn out for the best in the end.

**To be continued.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Farewell Lanna**

Lanna is now waiting in her home with the yellow-orange envelope wrapped in her arms. For some odd reason, she feels extremely nervous. Even more nervous than being on stage. The songs that the envelope holds were written in only a matter of a few days. Will it be enough to impress the manager who will be coming in only a few short minutes.

But the thing that worries her the most is her choice. Right now, she has decided to hand in her work, and continue being a pop idol. But even though she had already made her decision, she is still not sure if it's the best choice, and begins having second thoughts. She closes her eyes, and imagines coming back to Sunny Island, and finds that Mark has gotten married to Chelsea. She knows that she will be gone for at least a year with no hope of coming back before then.

A knock on her door snaps her back into reality. She knows that the only person who could be at the other side of that door is her manager. She sighs stressfully as she reaches for the knob, and opens the door allowing the overly dressed middle aged man, and his two bodyguards in.

She serves them some tea to lighten the mood before anything is said. After tea, Lanna and her manager sits at the opposite ends of the coffee table quietly for a brief moment. Afterwards, the manager rests his chin against his knuckles, and says in a clam stern voice, "So, how has the past week been? Did you finish the lyrics as promised?"

The finished product rests on Lanna's lap. She knows that at this moment, she'll have to make a solid decision, and live with the outcome. For a moment, she thought about telling her manager a lie, and say that she didn't finish. That way, she would be fired, and she could stay in Sunny Island forever.

But then she thought about the millions of fans who are waiting for her. Is it fair to be selfish, and forget about her career so easily? How will she explain to Mark who has helped her finish her work, so just simply throw it all away? With either choice, she risks losing so much.

She closes her eyes, and trembles for a minute. The manager raises an eyebrow, wondering what's on Lanna's mind. But then, Lanna remembers what Mark told her earlier. Mark said, "I'd wait for you, even if I spend the rest of my life waiting."

Remembering those words puts her at ease. She believes those words. And even if Mark doesn't wait for her, then she knows that he isn't the right guy for her after all. So she feels that the best thing to do, is to finish what she had started, and see if Mark will honestly wait for her. So she opens her chocolate brown eyes full of confidence, and slides the envelope towards her manager.

"I just finished the other day. I really tried hard, so I'm sure you'll like them."

He nods at Lanna's promise, and opens the envelope to review what she has done. Song after song, Lanna's manager reviews each lyric with a fine tooth comb seeing if what Lanna has created will be good enough for the fans to enjoy. As he reviews each song, he does not change his expression. He has a very serious look on his face as he reads each poetic line.

This makes Lanna feel very nervous. She wonders if her hard work was in vain, and all that she accomplished was to embarrass herself. She folds her hands, and prays for a good sign. A smile, a nod, some comforting words. Anything that would put Lanna's mind at ease.

After he reviews everything, he places the lyrics on the table, and lights a cigar. Lanna cringes in fear expecting him to yell and tell her how bad her work is. But after a puff of the cigar, Lanna's manager says, "So, how long do you think it will take to write and compose the music for these lyrics?"

Lanna gasps, and lets out a sigh of relief. "I don't know for sure. If we're fast. . . Maybe a month?" she answered after calming down.

Her manager returns the lyrics to the envelope, and places them in his briefcase. He then stands up and says, "Congratulations, you have really outdone yourself. I'm proud of you Lanna."

She then gasps with an excited glow in her eyes. She has never heard her manager praise her like that before. She feels that she really left an impression on him if he praised her that much. She wipes a tear from her eye, she is so happy that she could hardly contain herself.

"Start packing, we leave in two hours." said her manager, completely killing her happy mood.

"Two hours?" asked Lanna. "You mean, leave the island in two hours? But. . . That's so sudden! Can't I have a few days to say goodbye to all my friends?"

Lanna's manager rests a hand on her shoulder, and says in a gentle voice, "Lanna, I would love to give you a few days off to say goodbye to your friends. After all, you have spent two years on this island. But please understand that we have a lot of work ahead of us. The more we wait, the harder it will be to get you as popular as you once were. We have so many places to go, people to see, and lots of interviews to do. There just isn't any time for goodbyes. Do you understand?"

She knows what the manager is trying to tell her. But just leaving without saying anything doesn't seem fair either. She knows that Mark is probably in his farm cooking that huge fish she caught yesterday. And all her fans who will miss her once she's gone, what would they think? However, she did decide to go back to the life of a pop idol, and sudden departures are part of the job.

"I understand." said Lanna in a sad tone.

"Fantastic." said her manager. "Pack only the things you need, I'll send someone to pick up the rest of your thing later."

Lanna's manager then grabs his cell phone, and starts making calls to people. Lanna walks over to her room, and begins packing her dresses and other things she'll need. As she was going through her things, she found a photo album that she has been keeping since high school.

While the manager is distracted, Lanna takes a moment to look back at things she did as a pop idol. She already removed any pictures of her old lover long ago, so there is nothing to remind her of any painful memories. However, the photo album ended sometime after she went to visit her hometown. She realizes that since then, she has not taken any photographs at all. Because she has been working for two straight years, she doesn't even have any photographs of anyone or anything in Sunny Island. Not even a photograph of Mark.

Noticing that, she feels a bit depressed and foolish. She begins to ask herself why didn't she do many fun things while since she came on the island? Trying so hard to force ideas to come out, she missed nearly every festival, and spent nearly all day cooped up inside her house with only a brief moment everyday to get some exercise and sun. She is now wishing that she had become part of the community, and did stuff with everyone else.

After two hours, Lanna looks at her clock, and notices that it's 1:30pm. She was hoping that she could at least wait until 2:00pm so that Mark could deliver her lunch, but she could no longer hold out any longer. Her manager wants to leave, and he wants to leave now.

Lanna continues to feel sad and depressed on the way to the beach where the helicopter waits for her. Her manager is still on the phone, so he doesn't even notice how Lanna feels about leaving so suddenly. One of the guys working for Lanna's Manager stays behind to have Lanna's belongings moved to her hometown. Even though she doesn't want to go just yet, she decided to do this in the end. For Mark, and for her fans. Just before she boards the helicopter, she looks back, and whispers, "Goodbye Mark. . ."

She turns around, and tries to board the chopper, but she stops as soon as she hears her name being called in the distance. She quickly realizes that it was Mark's voice she heard. She looks back again, and sees Mark and Chelsea running to her as fast as they could. She tells the pilot to wait, and runs over to meet them halfway in the beach.

After Mark and Chelsea catches their breath, Mark asks, "Lanna, you're leaving already?"

"You're not even going to say goodbye?" asked Chelsea.

She nods and answers, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't mean so suddenly, but I have a lot of work to catch up. It's all part of the job, I didn't mean to sneak away."

Mark smiles at Lanna, and says, "It's okay, I understand. I'm just glad that I caught up with you on time. I tried to surprise you and bring you lunch early so the three of us can eat together, but you wasn't at the house. Someone said that you'd be here, so we ran as fast as we could." He then presented the packed lunch and continues, "If you're going to leave, then take this with you. Consider this a goodbye gift."

Lanna blushes as she accepts her gift. It's no different than any other gift she had received before, but knowing that he went out of his way to make sure that she got it makes her feel special. She then nods, and reaches into her pocket. She pulls out a small photograph of herself, and places it in Marks hands. "I want you to have this, so that you won't forget me."

Mark stares at the photograph, and says, "Are you sure I can have this? You never give a photograph of yourself to anyone, not even your fans!"

"How did you know that?" asked Lanna. Mark then pulls out a magazine with Lanna's profile on it. Lanna then giggles joyfully as she remembers that it was her idea for Mark to read her profile so that he could get to know her better. Afterwards, Mark and Chelsea properly said their goodbyes, and Lanna boards the helicopter so that she may continue her career as a pop idol.

As the helicopter flies off, Lanna looks down at the beach to see Mark and Chelsea wave goodbye to her. She places a hand on he glass window, and whispers to herself, "Mark, thank you for everything. You have always been kind to me, made sure I ate well every day, and even inspired me to do my best when I was about to give up. You are the one who filled the empty hole in my heart, I didn't want to admit I had. Please wait for me. I'll come back for you, I promise."

Lanna continued to watch them wave at her until she can no longer see them. She then sighs, and opens up her lunch. With every bite she takes, she recalls an event she had with Mark. She only hopes that she made the best decision, and will do her best so that she can return to Sunny Island someday.

To be continued.


	9. Chapter 9

**Final Chapter**

_Lanna, Mark, and Chelsea. . . Again!_

As soon as Lanna left Sunny Island, she quickly got started with her album. She brought her band back together, who were very happy to see her again, and started making music. She already had the music resting in her heart, so she had no trouble writing musical scores for the band. Before anyone knew what was happening, Lanna was singing once again.

Her album was released later that Winter, just in time for Christmas. With the use of heavy advertising, Lanna became the popular pop idol once again. Her album sold like hotcakes, most shops had trouble keeping it in stock. The fans were not disappointed, they loved her second album much more than her first one. No one understood why, but there was a special charm and deep feelings flowing from her music.

Soon afterwards, Lanna started going on tour once again. She went around the world singing in concerts stunning fans everywhere. When she's not performing in concerts, she attended interviews just about everywhere. During her career as a pop idol, she had mastered six languages other than English.

The job as a popular pop idol is a very stressful job. Interviews,concerts, meeting fans, and signing autographs tires her out quite often. Sometimes in the few moments she takes off, she often thinks about quitting. But after remembering how she has inspired Mark to try his hardest at his job, she then decides to work just a little bit longer.

Two years has passed since Lanna and Mark last saw one another. They try to keep in touch through mail, but that is easier said than done. Lanna barely has any time to breathe, let alone write a letter. Mark tries to write, but Lanna gets flooded with fan mail every day. Finding his letters in the clusters of papers is nearly impossible.

Sometime during the beginning of Summer, Chelsea pays a visit to her good friend Mark in his farm. She has become quite a successful farmer since she had first arrived with Mark's help. She now has a full field of crops growing healthy in her farm, and her own animals in her brand new barn and coop. But even with everything she has, she wants one last thing. A family to call her own.

Mark and Chelsea has become close friends, but not lovers. Chelsea tries to flirt with Mark, asks him on dates, and even attempts to kiss him at times. But each of her attempts always end in failure. No matter how close they are, Mark only has one thing lingering in his heart. That thing is Lanna's kiss.

Mark's door was open when she arrived, so she lets herself in. Like the many times she had visited in the past, she hears nothing but Lanna's music play in the house. She finds Mark lying on the floor watching one of Lanna's concerts on TV. The house has not changed much since Lanna left, except the occasional poster of Lanna that Mark has pinned up.

Chelsea sighs, and decides to sit down next to him. Although she is still a fan of Lanna, she can't help but to feel a bit jealous of her. After all, the man she wants is attracted to one of the most popular women in the world. At times, she feels that her attempts to steal Mark's heart is futile. But sometimes she feels that Lanna may never come back, so she believes that sooner or later, Mark will become hers.

"So, you're watching Lanna on TV again? Is this a live concert?" she asked, starting up a conversation.

Mark shakes his head no, and says, "Not really. We're so far away from any broadcast stations, that everything is delayed about 3 days. . ."

Chelsea continues the conversation by saying, "Have you kept in contact with her?"

Mark shakes his head no again, and answers, "I try to write letters, but I don't really know if she got them. And she never sent me one. . ."

"Summer has arrived once again. It'll be almost 2 years since Lanna left you know. Do you really think she'll come back eventually?"

"I don't know. . ." answered Mark.

Suddenly, a feeling of hope overcomes Chelsea. A small kindle of light telling her that Mark is beginning to give up on Lanna. Typically, Mark would be sure that Lanna would come back sooner or later. But now, he's no longer sure anymore. Because of this change in attitude, Chelsea feels that this is a good change to make her move.

After the concert on TV event is over, Chelsea stands up, and stretches her arms in the air. But Mark just continues to lie down, and sigh while watching the credits roll. After watching him sigh continuously, Chelsea helps him up, and says, "Come on Mark, the show is over! I'm done with my work, and it looks like you are too. Lets do something fun! Like go over to Luke's Diner, or go to the beach. It's a perfect summer day, lets not let it pass by!"

Mark then looks down and says, "Not today. I'm just not in the mood."

Chelsea begins to feel peeved, and begins to pout. She then moves in front of him, and raises his chin so that they can look at one another eye to eye. In a caring yet serious tone, Chelsea says, "Look, I know you are still thinking about her. I know you've liked her for years now. But you need to get over her already. Lanna is a pop idol, we are just simple farmers. She is of another league than us. Sooner or later, she's going to marry some rich famous guy, and forget we even exist.

"It's pointless to keep fantasizing about her like this. You need to move on with your life, date other girls, and put her behind you. Otherwise, you're just going to grow old and lonely while watching your life pass by."

Mark takes a deep breath before responding, "I know that your right. I should get over her. . ." Chelsea then becomes excited for a moment before Mark continues, "But I can't. . ."

"Why not?!" yelled Chelsea.

"Because. . ." Mark thinks about his answer carefully before answering. Memories of the times that Lanna and himself meeting at the beach, talking about things. Sharing stories, and finally being able to tell each other what was on their minds. Mark then answers, "For some reason or another, I think I made a promise. I don't know what, I don't know when, I don't know why, and I don't know how. . . Bit I'm sure that I did. So I'm going to keep that promise I made."

Chelsea doesn't understand what he meant by what he just said. A promise that he barely remembers making? It sounds crazy to her. All she is sure about is that as long as he has such feelings, she will never get through to him. So she decides to wait a bit longer. She is sure that someday, Mark will come to understand that he's just living a fantasy, and he'll eventually snap back into reality.

Just then, a special interview with Lanna is being played on TV. They both stop and sit down to watch the event. The event seems quite important by the way Lanna is standing on a podium next to her manager while many news reporters flood her with questions, and take countless pictures.

Some of the questions include, "Lanna, I hear you have an important announcement to make?!" "Are you going to be planning a third album?!" "Are you planning to get married anytime soon?!" "Is there something going on between you and the drummer in your band?" "Do you have any comments about your next event?"

The questions kept piling up one after another. But rather than answering any of them, Lanna just waves her hands up and down to quiet the media to give her a chance to speak. After the media has quieted down a bit, Lanna grabs a microphone, and says, "Hello everyone, I am glad that so may people has come to this special event. I have been planning this event for weeks now, and I have heard so many rumors about what I am about to say. Some people think I am going to be working on a third album, while many others think I'm planning on getting married soon. Some rumors are true, while others are false. But I am here now for none of the reasons everyone thinks.

"Before I make my announcement, I want to say that I am grateful for every fan that I have gotten since I've started singing. I love to sing, dance, and of course fishing. Since I have started this career, I have been to so many places, met so many people, and fished in many places a girl can ever dream of. I love my job, and everything that comes with the trade.

"I have spoken with my manager, and he understands my situation. Unfortunately, I have no new albums planned, and I have no events scheduled in the future. In fact, starting tomorrow morning, I will officially retire from show business. I will no longer be Lanna the Pop Idol. Starting tomorrow, I will just be Lanna Songstress, just another average girl like everyone else."

It didn't take long before the media panics, and begins flooding a ton of more questions on Lanna. Everyone is in shock. Even Mark and Chelsea are speechless upon seeing Lanna resign on TV for the whole world to see. No one expected that so suddenly.

It takes a while for everyone to calm down and allow her to answer anymore questions. As soon as the crowd calms down, Lanna was able to continue her speech. "I know that everyone has a lot of questions for me. Why am I doing this? What am I going to do from now on? Will I write a book or star in a movie? Unfortunately, I can't answer everyone's questions, but I will say this to all my loyal fans:

"Before I started this career as a pop idol, I had many dreams that I want to fulfill. Simple dreams that every girl has at one point in their lives. As a girl who is no different than anyone else, I will fulfill these dreams. I love this job, but I do feel that it's now time to say goodbye to my fans, and everyone that I've met. I hope everyone wishes me luck!"

And so, Lanna bows gracefully, and leaves the stage. The media tries to ask her many more questions, but they didn't get anything else out of her. Mark and Chelsea still stand in front of the TV, shocked and speechless. Even after the show is over, they remain still unsure what had happened.

"Did Lanna just quit her job?" asked Chelsea. Mark just nods, but doesn't say a word.

Soon after that, they hear a knock on Mark's door. They both go over to see who the unexpected guest is. As they open the door, they both gasp to see that Lanna is on the other side wearing the same aqua green dress and her frilly head piece she always wore last time she was on the island. What's new is the sunglasses she has brought with her to the island.

Lanna then pulls up the sunglasses to her hair revealing her chocolate brown eyes. She then smiles warmly pulling up two fingers forming the peace sign, and yells, "Hi there! I'm Back!"

"Lanna! You're Back!" Yelled Mark, he heart is so excited to see her, his heart could burst. "But how? You were just on TV a few minutes ago!"

"Well duh! This is an island, reception takes days to reach here!" answered Lanna. Mark then remembers that he just told Chelsea that it takes three days for reception to arrive in the island.

Lanna then notices that Chelsea is also in the house with Mark. "Hey, while I was out. . . Did you happen to get married, or found a girlfriend?" she asked.

Mark then looks at Chelsea for a second and answers, "No, Chelsea was only visiting, and we ended up watching you on TV."

"Is that true?" Lanna asked Chelsea.

She sighs feeling disappointed, then replies, "No, Mark was waiting for you the whole time since you left."

When Lanna hears that, she blushes and giggles whispering, "I'm so glad that I came back!"

Mark then asks, "Did you get my letters?"

Lanna then pulls out a small stack of letters addressed to her by Mark and says, "Sorry I didn't get the chance to read them. I had my manager pull them to the side, and save them for me. But even though I didn't get the chance to read them, I was really happy that you sent them anyway."

Mark laughs lightly and then asks, "So, are you here on vacation? If you are, how long are you going to be staying this time?"

"Actually, I've decided to live here on this island. I love my home and my family, but I decided to say goodbye to everyone, and move here."

"That's great! Well, do you need help moving into your old house or something. I'll be glad to help you!" Mark offered.

"Actually, I am not moving into my old house." Lanna admits while staring at the ground fidgeting with her fingers.

Mark and Chelsea look at one another for a moment, they they turn back to her as they ask simultaneously, "Well, where are you going to live then?"

"That's not important right now." she answered. She then puts her hand in her pocket and says nervously, "I. . . I brought a gift for Mark. . . It was really expensive. . . So I hope your grateful!"

Mark laughs cheerfully. Even after years had passed, Lanna is still Lanna. So he takes a step forward and asks, "So, what did you get for me?"

It takes her a moment to gather the courage to finally take the gift out of her pocket, and present it to Mark. Both Mark and Chelsea nearly faint from shock as they see a sparkling blue feather resting in her hands waiting for Mark to accept it.

Mark is just plain too nervous to accept the feather. Instead, he thoughtlessly asks, "Lanna! That is a blue feather! Do you even know what that's for?!"

Lanna frowns angrily and yells, "Of course I do! I'm basically allowing you the honor to marry me! I know I'm not a country bumpkin, but I do know these things at least!" She then turns away and continues, "If you don't want it, you don't have to accept it! But I thought that my little gift would make you happy. But I guess I was wrong! I'm going back to the hotel, goodbye!"

Before Lanna has a chance to take a single step away, Mark quickly holds her hand. Lanna then looks back, and sees the warm gentle smile she always has seen in Mark's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I was a bit shocked that's all. And if your sure about it, I would love to have you as my wife." he said.

Lanna gasps with excitement as Mark accepts the blue feather from her. She then jumps, giving Mark the biggest hug he has ever received. Afterwards, they share a kiss as a newly engaged couple.

Chelsea, feeling beaten by Lanna, walks out of the farm soon after the proposal. She didn't say a word to them, not even a word of congratulations. She only wants them to enjoy their moment in peace. Halfway back to her farm, Chelsea stops and looks back saying, "Look at that! Now I feel a bit jealous. But I guess I was wrong about her, she did come back for him after all."

"Excuse me." said a tall dark man from behind Chelsea. She turns around and finds one of her more recent friends who has moved into the island not too long ago. He's a fisherman who came to the island with his trusted black bird to work in the island.

"Oh hey Danny! What's up?" answered Chelsea.

He presented his gift to Chelsea and says, "I caught this fish today. I have enough fish to eat at home, so I thought you may like it."

Chelsea accepts her gift cheerfully and says, "Thank you. It's a big one, I bet it's going to be great!"

Danny then looks to the side while scratching his cheek nervously and says, "Actually, I have something I want to tell you. . . You see, I've always had a crush on you ever since we first met. I was wondering if we could, you know. . . Go out sometime?"

The confession caught her off guard. She always thought he was cool, and she always felt that his bird is quite cute. So she blushes happily, and says, "Sure, I would like that."

Time passes quickly in the island. About a week later, Lanna and Mark gets married, and about a year after that, their son is born. About the same time Mark's son is born, Chelsea also gets Married to Danny, and everyone lives happily in the small Island.

**The End.**

_Credits:_

This Fanfic is based off the Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness. Juxapose4ever or  
Harvestmoon4ever does not assume ownership of copywritten materials or names belonging to Marvelous  
Interactive or Natume.

This entire Fanfic was Written by Juxapose4ever for fans of Harvest Moon, or other people who just love to  
read. Thanks for reading.


End file.
